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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27788527">Baby Ada</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ilyanacopeland/pseuds/Ilyanacopeland'>Ilyanacopeland</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Forced Infantilism, Infantilism, bottle feeding</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 01:34:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>26,462</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27788527</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ilyanacopeland/pseuds/Ilyanacopeland</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ada is a sixth year and if she didn't have bad luck, she wouldn't have luck at all. I'm really bad at summaries, sorry.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>48</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ada Cox walked back to her common room wearily. She knew what was waiting for her as soon as she walked in but there was no way to avoid it. She had tried staying out until everyone was in bed, she’d slept in the room of requirement, she’d even spent a night or two outside. She had done everything in her power to avoid them but in the end it just made things worse. They were always waiting for her, and she couldn’t get away.<br/>
They were smart about it too. Never going as far as to hospitalize her or catch the attention of the teachers. And They reminded her constantly of why she deserved the pain and humiliation. And she could understand why They did it, so she said nothing. She took it all and carried it with her because in a way, she felt she deserved it.<br/>
With one last soft sigh, she opened the door to the common room and stepped inside. Her shoulders hunched in and her eyes saw nothing but the floor. She made her way across the quiet common room daring to hope, just like she always did, that she’d make it to her room unaccosted. And just like always, They stopped her.<br/>
Terri grabbed her shoulder, none too gently and pulled her over to their group. The common room had different little alcoves to study in, each with a silencing spell on it so that the students could study in peace. They were always in one of these little places where no one could hear the harsh words, the taunts, and jibes they threw at her like so many arrows. Even if they could hear they might think it was friendly teasing. Underneath the smiles and laughs though was an edge. A bit to Their words accompanied by equally sharp pain.<br/>
As Terri pulled her over to the alcove she tensed up but didn’t try to pull away and Terri smirked. He shoved her to sit down next to Michael and then sat down on her other side, tightly trapping her between them.<br/>
“How’s our favorite girl?” Terri Michael asked with a sneer.<br/>
She did not answer, merely kept her eyes on her hands which were twisting in her lap.<br/>
“Come now Michael. You know she’s too good to answer us. She’s a bloody pureblood after.”<br/>
“You’ve been avoiding us again, haven’t you.” Isobel said softly, her tone of voice carrying a threatening edge.<br/>
“I haven't, I swear.” Ada Cox said, panic already creeping in.<br/>
“Then where were you at dinner?”<br/>
“I was in the library studying, I lost track of time. I didn’t mean to skip.”<br/>
“You’ve got to be hungry then, if you skipped dinner.”<br/>
“Yeah, don’t you want to eat something?” Terri asked.<br/>
Cox could sense a maliciousness in the exchange but couldn’t, for the life of her, figure out what they had in mind, nor how to avoid it.<br/>
“I’m not hungry, thanks.” was all she whispered and immediately regretted it.<br/>
“Oh, so the pureblood thinks she’s above us muggleborns, does she?” Terri snered.<br/>
“No it's got nothing to-” Ada protested but was cut off by Isobel.<br/>
“The ickle yittle pureblood is too grand for our food is she? And after all the trouble we went through to get her food and keep her properly fed.”<br/>
“We can’t just let it go to waste now can we?” Michael asked, doing nothing to hide the evil grin spreading across his face.<br/>
“Please, I’m not hungry. Just let me go up to bed. I promise I wasn’t trying to avoid you.” Cox pleaded but to no avail.<br/>
“A little birdie tells us that you’re lying. You weren’t in the library at all. You were in the kitchens with that Malfoy snake, probably conspiring against us. Trying to kill us all off again, are you?”<br/>
“No! I swear, I’m not plotting to kill anyone! I’m not even plotting anything!” Cox was truly starting to panic now. Whatever was coming wasn’t good. Especially since they’d caught her out in her lie.<br/>
“You’re not hungry cause you let a snake feed you. You even let him spoon feed you and carry you like a helpless little baby. Is that what you really are? Just a helpless little baby?”Terri smeared as she shrunk back<br/>
Cox struggled  briefly but Micheal gripped her even tighter and she winced.<br/>
“Come on little Estella,” Isobel crooned. “Every little baby needs their dinner. Otherwise they get all cranky and fussy. And we don’t want that, do we?”<br/>
Isobel pulled out a container of something nasty and orange looking along with a spoon. She nodded at Michael who readjusted his grip on Ada so that she was turned with her back against him and his arms wrapped so that he pinned her arms down to her sides and she couldn’t move.<br/>
“Now be good for me, ickle Estella, and eat up your dinner. If you don’t behave you wont like the consequences.” Isobel unscrewed the lid to the jar and even she wrinkled her nose at what was inside.<br/>
Ada tried to struggle but Michaels grip was tight as a vice. All she could do was turn her head away as Isobel pushed a spoon of orange goop towards Estella. Cox shook her head and pressed her lips close together, unwilling to take it.<br/>
“Now really, what a horribly behaved child. I thought Pure bloods were raised better than this. Or Perhaps, you were so spoiled that you never learned to eat what you were given. Regardless, you will eat all your dinner and you wont move until you do. Terri, would you mind helping the poor little child stay still?”<br/>
Terri Boot grinned and grabbed Estella’s chin, forcing her to stay still before pinching her nose. When Ada finally opened her mouth to breath, Isobel shoved the spoonful of baby food into Cox’s mouth. Cox gagged at the taste and tried to spit it out but a warning look from isobel made her swallow it. It was a struggle but she did swallow it before grimacing.<br/>
“Does the baby not like her dinner? I believe it's Sweet potato and turkey. If I’m not mistaken it's what was served for dinner tonight. Would you like some water?”<br/>
Cox cautiously nodded and soon regretted it. Terri reached down and grabbed something off the floor. Cox was horrified to see that it was a plastic baby bottle. For the first time she just looked around with exhaustion and defeat in her eyes. She might as well just accept things and get it over with. And so, with tears streaming down her face, she sat in michaels tight hold and let herself be fed the disgusting pureed baby food and even let Terri use the bottle to give her water. The trio taunted her but she didn’t respond. She just sat there, with a blank look on her face and stared off into space. When the jar had been scraped clean, she didn’t move; just sighed and closed her eyes. Michael stood up with her still in his grasp before roughly dropping her onto the floor and stepping over her. After they had left, she slowly pushed herself up and made her way to her room before collapsing exhausted onto her bed.<br/>
She looked over at the letters she had opened this morning from her mother and father and let tears finally fall. Her mother had clearly expressed that Ada was not welcome home for the winter holiday, or for any other holiday after that. Ada was a disgrace to the family name and to be cut off. Her brothers had been so much more successful in life and thus, were the only children her mother needed. Her father, for his part, expressed his disgust that she hadn’t even been made a prefect, and here she was in her seventh year. She wasn't top of her class, on the quidditch team, or involved in any extracurricular activities. She was a failure and a disappointment. She was not to be welcomed or recognized as part of the family unless she somehow managed to make a name for herself in the world. All her belongings would be sent to her at Christmas and she would be removed from the castle's wards.<br/>
She had known it was coming, she was a girl and her parents had not wished for a girl. She was a disappointment from the beginning. Her older brothers had already become successful business men both in the muggle and Wizarding world. At school they had been quidditch captains, prefects, head boys, and had been chosen for numerous extracurricular projects with the teachers. In short, they were everything Cox wasn’t. She’d only ever seen her brothers twice, and in both short, stilted meetings, they had seemed perfect in every way. She really couldn’t blame her parents for removing her from the family. She never fit in. Cox cried herself into a deep but restless sleep, both thankful for and dreading the weekend to come.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Ada awoke, she started at the sight of Isobel peering down at her as if she was a specimen of a lizard in need of studying. Cox scrambled up and pulled her quilt tightly around her shoulder, realizing as she did so, that she had fallen asleep in her robes.<br/>
“Poor little baby.” Isobel shook her head. “Can’t properly take care of herself can she. Lucky for you, you have three wonderful friends who can help you.”<br/>
Ada vehemently shook her head and tried to back up only to fall off the edge of her bed. Isobel cast a quick spell that caught Ada and levitated her to Isobel’s waiting arms.<br/>
“None of that now, you don’t want to make Michael and Terri wait for us. They would get grumpy and you know how they get when they’re grumpy. Really no telling what they might do.”<br/>
Ada struggled and finally was able to break free of Isobel’s grasp. She stumbled slightly but ran to her door. She couldn’t handle another experience like last night. She wouldn’t. She quickly ran down the stairs and through the common room. Thankfully it was full, so she was somewhat protected. No one gave a second thought to another Ravenclaw running through the house. It was a common occurrence as students realized they’d forgotten something, remembered something, or needed to research something. She made it out into the hallway and all but sprinted towards the stairs. Up she went, up, up, to the top floor. Her favorite hiding spot was a little alcove that nearly everyone looked straight past. She crept in and squeezed herself into the back corner, praying that the shadows would hide her from anyone who might pass.<br/>
Her breathing was silent, despite running up several flights of stairs and no one passed for almost half an hour. Just as she was starting to relax, she heard two voices coming down the corridor.<br/>
“You’re sure you know where she is?” She knew without a doubt that that was Terri.<br/>
“Positive. It's where she always goes. Little brat will be there.” And that was Michael.<br/>
“She better be, I’m going to be so ticked when we find her. She’s going to regret running away.”<br/>
As the voices came closer, Isobel pushed herself even more tightly back into the corner. She started to panic as she heard their footsteps grow closer and closer, until they were standing directly in front of her.<br/>
“Come on, little Ada.” Terri coaxed. “Come on out of there like a good little girl.”<br/>
Even if she had wanted to, Ada couldn’t move. She was paralyzed by fear. Michael and Terri exchanged a glance. She wasn’t going to make this easy on them but they knew she was there. They could hear her breathing coming in quick, short gasps, on the edge of a panic attack. Michael stooped down and entered the alcove, casting a luminos charm as he did so. Michael was cruel, but he wasn’t a complete monster.<br/>
“Breath, Ada. I need you to breath in for three and out for three okay?”<br/>
She nodded and tried to breathe as he counted. She was unable to keep a few tears from streaking down her face. Once she was breathing better and had stopped shaking- something she hadn’t even realized she was doing until she stopped- Michael pulled her out of the alcove. Terri had gone to find Isobel so it was just the two of them standing in the hall. He kept a hand around her wrist to keep her from running and it was just as harsh and unyielding as his grip had been the night before. It was as if Ada had almost imagined him walking her through her near panic attack.<br/>
Isobel and Terri stalked down the hall towards Ada and she tried to step back but she was already against a wall. Isobel had a malicious glint in her eyes that did not bode well for Ada. At a nod from Isobel, Michael started to drag Ada towards the door of an empty classroom. Despite knowing it would just make things worse, Ada struggled against him and tried to pull away. She was far outmatched though. He was probably close to a foot taller than she and definitely outweighed her. He was also almost pure muscle, so there was no way she could have really done anything. In the end, he just picked her up and carried her into the room.<br/>
As Isobel and Terri came in, Michael put Ada into one of the wooden chairs and cast a sticking spell to keep her there. He also stuck her wrists to the chair so she couldn’t do anything but sit there. The trio pulled up other chairs around the desk she was ‘sitting’ at.<br/>
“That was a very naughty thing you did this morning. Babies don’t run away from their friends. They certainly don’t try to hide from them either.” Terri said with a mock frown.<br/>
“We’re just trying to take care of you, baby. And look at you! You slept in your school robes from yesterday, your hair is a disaster, and you’ve skipped another meal! We really just want what's best for you.” Isobel’s simpering voice put Ada on edge.<br/>
Ada wanted to say something, wanted to defend herself but was too afraid. She was already in enough trouble as it was. Michael noticed this battle play across her face and smiled.<br/>
“So here’s what we’re going to do Cox. You are going to eat your food and drink your bottle and then we’ll see about a proper punishment for running away. After that we’ll see if a friend wants to join us. Sound good?”<br/>
Ada vehemently shook her head but it didn’t matter. Isobel was already pulling out another jar of baby food, this time it was brown. She also pulled out a bottle and a can of formula. Isobel unscrewed the lid and scooped out a spoonful before looking at the label.<br/>
“This one’s roast beef, enjoy.”<br/>
As she pushed the spoon towards Ada, Ada sharply recoiled and sent her chair crashing backwards. Michael and Terri jumped up and Isobel just looked down at Ada in surprise. Apparently none of them had foreseen that happening. Ada, for her part, lay dazed. She hadn’t expected it either. Then, to her surprise as well as everyone else's, she began to silently cry. Michael quickly cast the counter spell to the sticking charm and Ada curled up on herself, clutching her head where she had hit it. None of the trio moved for a second, then Terri crouched down.<br/>
Terri pulled her into a sitting position and looked at her eyes. He checked for a concussion and when no symptoms were evident he shook his head at the other two. They sighed in slight relief. If she had to go to the hospital wing, their secret game might have been found out.<br/>
“Seems baby is too little to sit in a chair on her own.” Michael said before gathering her up into his arms. “You’ll just have to sit on my lap while you eat.”<br/>
Michael sat down in his chair and held Ada sideways, so that her wrists were clamped tight in one hand and his other wrapped around her upper arms. This effectively prevented her from moving at all. Her head was tucked against his shoulder. Isobel once more pushed the spoonful towards Ada. Ada looked from the spoon to Isobel and back again, a few tears still sliding down her face. Then, as all three watched her carefully, she closed in defeat. She opened her mouth and let the nast goop slide down her throat. She didn’t move except to open her mouth and swallow for the next fifteen minutes and the horrible concoction slowly disappeared. After the last spoonful, Ada slumped uncaringly against Michael. She was exhausted and could honestly have probably slept like that. She wasn’t given the chance however as the bottle was shoved in her mouth. At the first taste she grimaced. Whatever was in this was horribly nasty tasting.<br/>
“Now, now, baby. Be good or your punishment will be worse. You need to drink all that so that you stay healthy and get all the nutrients you need. You haven’t been eating properly and it’s taking a toll on your body. This will keep you nice and strong.” Terri said before putting the nipple into her mouth again.<br/>
Ada just glared at him as she choked down the bottle. No wonder it was nasty, it was nutrient potions and water. When she finished, Terri whipped down her face as if she had gotten something on it. She squirmed again and tried to pull her face away but Michael hadn’t loosened his grip even a fraction.<br/>
“Okay baby, it's time to discuss discipline for running away. What do you boys think should happen?” Isobel asked.<br/>
It was clear that there had already been a discussion. They weren’t asking Ada what it should be, merely dragging out the verdict.<br/>
“Since she ran away, maybe it should be that she can’t leave us at all for the weekend. Rather fitting don’t you think?” Terri asked Michael.<br/>
“I think that's reasonable. It's also a long weekend with no classes Monday so that gives us extra time with her, isn’t that wonderful?”<br/>
Ada whimpered slightly and pulled weakly against Michael but he just shushed her. Just then there was a knock at the door before it swung in to reveal Draco Malfoy leaning against the door frame with a smirk across his face. Ada tensed up and Michael tightened his grip on her.<br/>
“Hi Ada, surprised to see me?”<br/>
Ada looked between Draco and the rest of the group with a sinking feeling in her stomach. Whatever was going on here wasn’t going to end well for her.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Draco pulled up another chair and dropped a bag next to it before sitting down.<br/>
“Draco is the one who let us know where you were last night. He also said that after you had skipped dinner, avoiding us, you hadn’t let him feed you. You ran away from him too Ada. He’s here because you owe him for that. He was trying to help you but you have this annoying little habit of refusing to accept help. We’re going to break you of that.” Isobel said softly, but strongly.<br/>
“Please guys, just let me go.” Ada whispered pleadingly.<br/>
Draco just reached over and patted her knee in what was probably supposed to be a reassuring manner. Then he opened his bag and summoned a blanket from it that was way too big to fit so Ada assumed it had some sort of extending charm on it. Draco spread it out on the floor before gesturing to Michael. Micheale stood up and carried her over before lying her down on the blanket. Before she could squirm away or sit up or really do anything, Draco cast an immobulus charm on her. Then he tightly wrapped her in the blanket so that when he cancelled the charm, she was still unable to move any of her limbs.<br/>
Oddly enough, Ada didn’t really try to move very much. She didn’t even panic like she thought she would. Instead, the tight warmth of the blanket calmed her slightly. Draco picked her up this time and then carried her out of the classroom, much to her alarm.<br/>
“Stop please,” She said, her voice rising in pitch as she started to panic . “Please stop, I don’t want to go anywhere. Where are we going?”<br/>
“Shhh, calm down Ada. We’re just going to wash your hair. There’s no reason you should be so upset right now.”<br/>
Ada could hear the other three following behind Draco and she just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. She was too overwhelmed right now. Draco looked down at the top of her head and she could feel him sigh. He muttered something too soft and low for her to catch and then the blanket tightened marginally and became heavier. She unconsciously started to relax a little bit as her mind struggled to understand why the blanket had this affect on her. In the thirty seconds she had to think, the only conclusion she could think of was that the blanket was similar in a way to the muggle weighted blanket that they used to help people with anxiety sleep.<br/>
As they came to the end of the hall, Draco turned and opened a plain looking door. Inside the room, however, was anything but plain. The walls were a soft cream colour and all the appliances were plated gold. There was a huge basin in the floor filled with water and lined with different glass bottles in various shapes and sizes. The air was warm and foggy with steam from the water.<br/>
“Michael, trade me please. Draco said.<br/>
Michael took Ada from Draco and settled down on the ground next to the tub. As Draco went and got something ready, Michael started to arrange Ada so that he was holding her but her head was over the water. Isobel and Draco knelt on either side of her head and Ada whimpered slightly, screwing her eyes shut.<br/>
Draco took a cup and dipped it in the warm water then poured it over her hair. Isobel adjusted her so that her head was more tipped back and the water wouldn’t run into her eyes. Draco repeated this process until Ada’s hair was thoroughly wet and she had started to relax a bit. When he set down the cup to fill his hand with shampoo her eyes shot open and she looked towards him panicked.<br/>
“Just getting shampoo, you’re fine.” he said and slowly moved to grab the bottle of shampoo.<br/>
She tightly closed her eyes again, unwilling to believe for a second that this was all that was going to happen. Then, when Draco started to massage the shampoo into her scalp, she actually fully relaxed. In fact, she nearly fell asleep. Draco’s long fingers were gently moving through her hair and massaging her scalp. Isobel poured more water over Ada’s hair to rinse it as Draco continued his ministrations. Then they did the same with conditioner and Ada really did fall asleep this time.<br/>
When they were done, Draco gently wrapped Ada’s hair in a towel so that they could move her again and Michael gently cradled her before standing up. She barely stirred even when Michael transferred her into Draco’s arms. They went back down the hall to the room from before and Isobel quickly transfigured a chair into a couch for Draco to sit down on.Everyone settled down and looked at each other awkwardly for a second, no one wanting to be the first to say something. Finally Terri broke the silence.
“So what's the deal with all of this.” He asked Draco, gesturing around vaguely.
“What part of this are you referring to?”
“Why did you need our help with this? I mean it's not that we haven’t enjoyed humiliating her. I've never seen here so defeated, kinda satisfying really but why?”
Draco cast a silencing charm around Ada so he could talk without her waking up and hearing.
“Well, it's just one step in a much larger process. In having you start this, it makes me look like the lesser of two evils. Especially when we have a contrast like today where you forced her to do something hard for her and then I come and do something that feels almost comforting. Soon she’ll subconsciously think of me as safe and she’ll trust me. Makes things easier for me.”
“Smart. Definitely a slytherin move though.” Isobel said. “It’s rather interesting. No matter what we do or say there’s always some part of Ada that seems to stubbornly bear it but last night I saw a look of defeat and resignation I’d never seen before. She stopped struggling and protesting, just let it happen. We’d not seen that before.”
“Maybe part of her didn’t want to fight anymore, she’s gotta be tired and being cared for, even in a rather.. unconventional way, could be kinda nice.” Michael observed quietly, watching the sleeping girl that Draco held. 
“So what next?” Terri asked.
“Let her nap for now. Eventually we need to go back to our common rooms because the Professors are about to announce the new housing systems.”
“Is that why we have Monday off?” Michael asked.
“Yeah, they’re going to let us all move our things and get acquainted with our new house members.” 
“How about this,” Isobelt started. “You can wake her up and give her another bottle before we all go back to our houses. Professor Flitwick said that our meeting was at two, which is just about an hour from now.”
Draco shrugged and dropped the silencing charm around Ada. Then softly said her name. They all watched as she slowly woke up. She looked peaceful for a moment but they could clearly see everything from last night and this morning wash over her. She tried to sit up full but Draco was still holding her and she couldn’t. Panic flashed in her eyes as she then tried to get out of the blanket wrapped around her but without any luck. 
“Hey, you’re okay. All we need you to do is drink this bottle and then you can go back to your common room.” Draco said as Isobela prepared another bottle for her. 
This didn’t soothe Ada any and Draco had to hold her tighter so she wouldn't fall. When Isobel handed the bottle to Draco, Ada shook her head and pressed her lips tightly together. Draco sighed and looked down at her.
“If you drink this then tonight I’ll let you have normal food for dinner.” Draco promised. “If we have to force you though, you’ll only get bottles for the next two days.”
Draco could see the wheels turn in her head before she resigned. She opened her mouth and let Draco hold the bottle and feed her. She grimaced with every swallow but she did finish the bottle. Draco smiled at her as she closed her eyes and tried to stop the flush of embarrassment from creeping up her face. 
When she was done, Draco pulled her up so she was sitting on his lap instead of laying across it. He muttered something again and the blanket loosed from around her. Ada was horrified to realize that she actually liked the blanket. 
“Are you ready to go back to your house?” He asked her, disrupting her from her thoughts. 
“Please,” was all she said. 
“All right, then. Let's go.” Isobel said as she and the other two boys stood up. 
Ada stood from Draco’s lap, blushing in humiliation. The red deepened when Michael grabbed her hand tightly. She really did look small, especially compared to Michael. Draco was tall, at 6’2” he stood a foot above Ada, but he was also slender. Michael was already 6’4” and was very muscular. He absolutely dwarfed the girl. He gathered the blanket and put it back in the bag. He’d figured she’d like it and he had been right. Things were starting to come together. 
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Please comment and let me know what you think. Also I would love suggestions for what else I should include in the next chapters!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Draco and the other four split up once they got to the Ravenclaw’s house floor. Michael finally let go of Ada’s hand and she nearly sighed in relief. When they entered the common room it was buzzing with conversation, a rare occurrence for the house. Ada started to head off to a corner but Isobel caught her elbow.<br/>
“Don’t forget what your punishment is.” she said and Ada’s face fell as she remembered she’d have to stay with the group.<br/>
When they sat down Ada was once again trapped between the boys and Isobel sat directly behind her. The room fell quiet as Flitwick stood on a chair and waved to get their attention.<br/>
“Are all, seventh, and eighth years here?” he asked as he did a quick head count.<br/>
Satisfied that they were all in fact present he started.<br/>
“As some of you may know, we have decided to do something a little bit different this year with rooming. It has taken some time to put together but now we are ready. We decided we would ease into it so my lovely Ravenclaw’s, you are with the Slytherins. Your new quarters will be in the west tower on the seventh and eighth floors. You’ve been split into two groups. Look at this to find your groups as well as your rooms.”<br/>
Flitwick distributed a pile of papers out to his students and waited as they quietly read them. Ada was almost too afraid to look at who her group would be. She scanned it quickly and was relieved to see that Terry wasn't in her group. Michael and Isobela were however, as was Anthony Goldstein. The slytherins in her group were Draco, Blaise Zabini, Tracey Davis, Theoadore Nott, Pansy Parkinson, and Daphne Greengrass. She groaned inwardly and closed her eyes for a moment before reading the rest.<br/>
They were on the eighth floor. Their floor had a common room and off of that shot five rooms, two students to a room. They’d find out their pairings when they got to their new house. The schedule for the next two days was also outlined. There would be different small group times to get to know one another better and all meals would be taken together in the common room “to promote and encourage new friendships and alliances being created.” Ada thought it was all rubbish but like a lot of things in her life now, there was nothing to be done but survive it. At least, she reflected, Draco hadn’t been as rough as her ravenclaw “friends” usually were. As everyone started to talk again Flitwick asked for their attention once more.<br/>
“Now that you have figured out where you will be I suggest you start packing. You will eat dinner tonight with your new housemates.”<br/>
Everyone started to get up and head up to their rooms, discussing arrangements with their friends. Ada stood up as well, once Michael and Terry had. She looked at them uncertainly, wondering if as part of her ‘punishment’ she would be allowed to go pack up on her own. She turned around and looked at Isobel who gave her a little showing motion and Ada sighed in relief before heading up the stairs to her room.<br/>
She didn’t have much to pack since she always kept her clothes in her chest anyways but she slowly went around and collected all the little things. Her books were all neatly piled next to the chest and she was starting to empty her desk when she heard a knock on her door.<br/>
“Who is it?” she asked warily.<br/>
“It’s Michael. I’m coming in.” He replied as he pushed open her door.<br/>
“What is it that you want?”<br/>
I’m done packing so I came to help you. The sooner we get moved in the better.”<br/>
“Why? So you can go back to humiliating and tormenting you?” Ada asked sarcastically, turning her back on him to finish cleaning out her desk.<br/>
“Watch your tone with me. What do you have left?”<br/>
Ada rolled her eyes, feeling a lot more brave now that she was in her own room, her own territory. She didn’t want to push it however so she just gestured to her nightstand.<br/>
“I’ve got my desk but you can put everything on top of that in the chest. If you really want you can put the books in too.”<br/>
She went back to gathering all the loose parchment from her desk and organizing it into stacks and Michael started on the nightstand. More Parchment and books covered it but two pieces of parchment caught his eye. He picked up the heavy blue paper and scanned the first few lines before looking at Ada in shock. He quickly read the rest of the letter from Ada’s parents before pocketing it. With a quick Wingardium Leviosa everything on the nightstand was in the chest. He did it again and the books fell in too.<br/>
Ada finished with her desk and walked over with neat stacks of parchment which she put on top before closing the trunk with a sigh. She quickly scanned the room and didn’t see anything else so she faced Michael with a sigh.<br/>
“I suppose that's all then?”<br/>
“Yeah, The houselves will send it over as we walk to the tower. Isobel said to meet her by the bottom of the stairs.”<br/>
Ada followed Michael out of her room and looked back with longing. Things were about to become a whole lot more difficult for her. Now she didn't even get the blissful solitude of her room. She really hoped she didn’t end up rooming with Isobel.<br/>
Aforementioned girl was already waiting for them impatiently when they got down the stairs. Without saying anything she led the way out of the Ravenclaw house and to their new house for the rest of the year. Michael and Isobel flanked Ada and to any onlooker it would have looked as if they were merely protective of the smaller girl. Ada, though, felt the opposite of protected. Her guard was up and she warily looked between the two. No one said anything the entire way up to the west tower. When they got to the eighth floor, Headmistress McGonagal was waiting to greet them.<br/>
“Welcome students, this will be your new home. The password for now is Home but tomorrow you all will decide on a new one. Go in, and get yourselves settled. Dinner will be at 6:30 so you have free time until then!”<br/>
They approached the wall she was standing in front of and watched as she put her hand on it and said the password. A section of it swung open and they all stepped through into their new common room.<br/>
It was decorated in soft shades of blue and green that Ada immediately liked. A couple of couches and plush armchairs were scattered about the room and cushions and blankets were everywhere. She went to find which room was hers and was relieved to see that she was not rooming with Isobel but Pansy Parkinson. She couldn’t be any worse than Isobel. She knocked tentatively on the door and was surprised when it opened to reveal Draco. Ada stepped back surprised but Draco just pulled her into the room. Blaise was stretched out along one bed and Pansy was busy putting her clothes into one of the two wardrobes in the room. She looked up as Ada came in and smiled slightly.<br/>
“Hi Ada, your trunks already at the end of the bed Blasie is on. I hope that you’re okay that I chose this one.”<br/>
“Yeah, it's fine.” Ada said quietly.<br/>
Blaise got up and moved to Pansy’s bed. Draco sat down with him and Ada tried not to be unnerved as they watched her unpack. She was grateful there was a desk for her and she busied herself with reorganizing the parchment the way it had been on her other desk. Then she stacked her books along the bottom of her wardrobe and hung her school robes on the top. That reminded her that she was still wearing yesterday’s clothes and she flushed as she looked down at her rumpled robes.<br/>
Draco picked up on this and with a wave of his wand, he summoned a pair of jeans and a t-shirt from her trunk and put them on her bed. She shot him a look of pure annoyance and he shrugged. Blaise who had watched all of this smirked at Draco when Ada turned her back. When she finished unpacking, it really didn’t take long at all, she sat on her bed unsure of what to do next. She did need to change but Blaise and Draco were still there. Pansy was almost done but still engrossed in organizing her clothes so Ada summoned one of her favorite books and tucked herself up on her bed and started to read.<br/>
The room was silent for a while until Pansy finished unpacking and organizing. Then she looked at the two boys lounging on her bed and cracked draco over the head with a roll of parchment.<br/>
“Get out you two, let us change for heaven's sake!”<br/>
Draco and Blaise lazily sauntered out and Draco threw a wink at Ada before closing the door behind them.<br/>
“Bloody idiots.” Pansy said affectionately.<br/>
Ada threw her a dubious look but was glad for the opportunity to change. She quickly shed her robes and climbed into the clothes Draco had picked. She had to admit that he knew her somewhat well for it was her favorite t-shirt and pair of jeans, both soft with wear.<br/>
“Are you excited for Christmas break?” Pansy asked, startling Ada from her thoughts.<br/>
Ada just shrugged. She’d be spending it at Hogwarts but wasn't particularly looking forward to anything. Except maybe getting all her belongings. It would be nice to have some books from home again. She started as someone knocked sharply on the door and Pansy gave her an odd look before opening the door. Blaise was lounging against the door and came in without asking for permission before flopping down on Pansy’s bed again.<br/>
“Move over you big oaf,” Pansy said as she pushed his legs off the side of the bed. “I need a place to sit too.”<br/>
Blaise grudgingly moved his legs so Pansy could get situated before putting them back on top of her. Ada had moved back to her own bed and had once more squeezed herself into the corner of her bed and was reading, trying to escape her world somewhat.<br/>
“Where’s Draco?” Pansy asked Blaise after a while, keeping an eye on the Ravenclaw across from her to gauge if she was really listening or not.<br/>
“He said he needed to take care of something. He should be back in less than an hour.”<br/>
Ada was very clearly engrossed in her book and Pansy relaxed.<br/>
“It's strange that they had us move in a week from Christmas break. Thought they would have waited until after break.” Pansy observed.<br/>
“Probably wanted us to get used to it now rather than taking time out of the new semester. Do you have a tea kettle?”<br/>
“Do I look like I would?” Pansy responded derisively.<br/>
Blasie gave her a pointed look and she sighed.<br/>
“Give me a second,” she sighed. “Ada, would you like tea as well?”<br/>
“Hmm?” Ada looked up confused.<br/>
“Do you want tea?” Blaise asked before Pansy could.<br/>
“Um sure.” she said before going back to her book.<br/>
Blaise watched her for a second, using the moment to catalogue her body language and facial expression. She looked tense but not in an anxious way. More of in an anticipatory kinda way. It must have been a good book.<br/>
Pansy activated the charm on the kettle to boil the water and summoned three mugs from her trunk. She sat back down on the edge of her bed to wait for it to boil and sighed. It seemed her new roommate was a total introvert and recluse. Oh well, it could have been worse she supposed. She could have ended up with Daphne again. That girl annoyed her beyond belief. After about ten minutes the kettle started to whistle and she jumped up. She poured her own water and then gestured to the other two. She never presumed enough to make someone elses tea, she herself was very particular so she wanted to give others a chance to prepare theirs as they liked.<br/>
Blaise stood up and quickly poured his mug as Ada came over, still reading her book. She did put it down long enough to take the kettle and start pouring her own mug. She slowly and carefully poured it out, it was still boiling slightly and she didn’t want to spill. She was about finished when Draco flung the door open startling her into dropping the kettle. She reflexively reached out to catch it, and catch it she did. She managed to grab the side and yelped as it burned her hand. She dropped it again and the boiling water spilled over both her hands as she jumped back. Blaise and Pansy had both jumped to their feet but were unable to do anything but watch the train wreck in front of them and Draco stood stupidly in the doorway.<br/>
Ada bit back a near scream at the pain of her hands and sank down, clutching them to her chest. She felt tears start to slide down her face and she desperately tried not to sob. Blaise was oddly enough the first one to react. He knelt down beside her and grabbed her arms to pull her hands away from her chest. They were red and angry, already starting to blister.<br/>
“Draco, find me a wet cold towel.” he instructed before turning back to Ada. “I’m going to take you to the hospital wing as soon as he’s back okay?”<br/>
Ada shook her hard vehemently despite almost hyperventilating as she tried not to cry.<br/>
“You don’t want to go to the hospital wing?” Blaise asked incredulously.<br/>
She shook her head again and Blaise frowned.<br/>
“Do you want me to have Madame Pomfrey come here?”<br/>
“No, I’ll be fine.” she choked out and Blaise raised an eyebrow.<br/>
Draco came back with a wet hand towel that he’d cast a slight freezing spell on and handed it to Blaise. He put it on Ada’s hands and then turned to ask Pansy for a pain killing potion. She already had it out and handed it to him. Ada let him pour it into her mouth and she swallowed it without even a grimace. Tears were still flowing down her cheeks and she was hunched over her hands.<br/>
“I’ll be right back with stuff for that.” Blaise quickly strode out of the room.<br/>
Draco knelt down next to Ada and hugged her before pulling her onto his lap. Her head was tucked under his chin and he smoothed her hair as she cried.<br/>
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you and I definitely didn’t mean to hurt you. Please will you forgive me?” He asked gently, rocking her slightly.<br/>
She nodded but didn’t speak. She was still silently crying and Draco felt uncharacteristically guilty. He was surprised though, that she had let him pull her onto his lap like this. By the time Blaise came back, Ada’s tears had slowed somewhat, though they still ran down her cheeks. He didn’t bat an eye at her on Draco’s lap, he just sat down across from her. He had a couple rolls of gauze as well as ointment for the burns. He’d also brought her a glass of water that he helped her drink before they did anything else.<br/>
Using a little square of gauze he’d cut off, Blaise dipped it into the ointment and then held one Ada’s wrists so he could see her hand. He felt her tense in preparation as he started to apply the ointment to the burned flesh. She reflexively jerked her hand back but Blaise had a firm grip and she didn’t go anywhere. She winced with every touch but was pretty tough, all things considered. As Blasie gently wrapped the one hand in gauze she tiredly leaned back into Draco. Blaise did raise an eyebrow at this but said nothing.<br/>
Blaise knew what Draco was planning for the girl but had been very dubious as to if things would actually work the way Draco thought they would. After this, however, things may actually end up the way he said. If she was subconsciously latching onto Draco then chances were she may consciously do so as well.<br/>
He let her take the one hand back and gently took the other one. This one was much worse than the other, it was probably the one she had used to catch the kettle before dropping it again. He used significantly more of the ointment with this one than with the other and made sure to pad it a bit more with gauze too.She still had her fingers free, thankfully, since the worst of the burns were on her palms.<br/>
“You’re sure you don’t want to see Madame Pomfrey?” Blaise asked again.<br/>
Ada nodded tiredly and closed her eyes. They all sat like that for a moment before Pansy cleared her throat.<br/>
“So Draco, how come you came bursting in here like that anyways?” she asked.<br/>
“Oh yeah, I convinced Professor McGonagal to let us off early for Christmas. Basically we don’t have to go to classes if we’re here, and if we have parental permission, we get to ride home on Monday instead of Friday.”<br/>
“How’d you manage that?” Blaise asked incredulously.<br/>
“I can’t reveal all my secrets now, can I? Anyways, I wanted to invite you over for the break, Blaise. I also got permission from McGonagall to bring Ada since there are some… interesting circumstances surrounding her.”<br/>
“What do you mean ‘interesting circumstances’?” Ada asked, her voice laced with something they couldn’t quite figure out. She sat up and pushed away from Draco, wincing slightly.  He let her move away and pulled a pair of folded papers from his pocket. Blaise and Pansy watched her face blanch before it clouded with anger.<br/>
“Where did you get those?” her voice was low and threatening, taking all present by surprise.<br/>
“Michael gave them to me, said he found them on your nightstand.” Draco said, watching her carefully.<br/>
She cursed and stood up. She was pissed and the three Slytherins didn’t want to get in her way. After the physical pain she had just endured they knew she was on a short fuse about to blow.<br/>
Draco got up and followed a safe distance behind her as she carefully picked up her book from where she had dropped it earlier then marched out the door and straight over to the open door to Michael’s room. Without preamble she chucked the book at Michael  who was on his bed (thankfully it was a paperback and not one of her hardcover textbooks) and stood there almost shaking in anger.<br/>
“Don’t you ever go through and take my personal things again! I’m not just some poor, meek, little child for you to mess with for your own pleasure and amusement. I am a human being with human feelings and I swear if you ever do that again I’m going to hex you into next week!” She yelled, unaware or maybe uncaring of the small crowd gathering.<br/>
She stooped down and picked up her book before using it to slap him across the face. Draco saw her wince but he doubted anyone else would notice. Then she marched back out, elbowing draco rather hard in the ribs as she passed him and went back into her room. She slammed the door in front of an alarmed Pansy and Blaise.<br/>
Everyone just stood there in shock for a moment. Michael especially didn’t know what to do. He was touching his face where she’d slapped him and looking at Draco very confused and maybe in a bit of awe. Draco got the feeling that if her hands hadn’t been burned Michael would have a handprint on his cheek right now. He clearly needed to reevaluate his plan after this afternoon.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry, there's some nerdy psychology theories in this next chapter so feel free to skim that part.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Isobel came over to where Draco was standing and shook her head. <br/>“I think I’m out. That was terrifying and I prefer to stay breathing.” was all she said before walking away. <br/>“Me too.” Michael said from where was still sitting on his bed. “That actually really hurt and she wasn’t even going all in. Now that she’s decided to fight back it's not worth it.” <br/>Draco sighed but nodded. That was the thing about Ravenclaws. They weren’t as focused in the long run as Slytherins tended to be. Oh well, he was going to have to adjust things anyways. <br/>Pansy gingerly knocked on her door and waited for Ada’s permission before coming in. She went and sat on her bed, carefully watching the other girl. Ada was still shaking a little bit but she couldn’t tell if it was from anger, adrenaline, or pain. Maybe a combination. <br/>“Do you want to talk about what just happened?”<br/>“Not particularly.” was the short reply.<br/>Pansy was at a loss for words, an unusual feeling for her. <br/>“Would you be willing to tell me why that letter has you so upset?”<br/>“Go ask Michael. I’m sure he’d love to humiliate me some more. And I’m sure if you asked Draco he’d even let you read the bloody letters.”<br/>Pansy was taken aback by the Ravenclaw in front of her. She couldn’t have imagined the quiet girl could have had this in her. She wondered how long and how much it had taken to push her over the edge like that. <br/>“I’d rather not hear it from either of them or read the letters. I just want to know what you think and what caused this so I can understand how you of all people exploded like that.” Pansy said gently. <br/>Ada turned to face Pansy square on and could see both pain and frustration clearly written across her face.<br/>“Fine. I’m upset because Michael took those letters from my bedside table, most likely read them, and gave them to Draco. Draco definitely read them and went to McGonagall with that information to get something he wanted. What's in those letters is painful enough to have me just know. Having so many other people know is even worse because now I’m the object of pity and I certainly don’t need anyone’s pity, much less that of Draco Malfoy.” her words came out in an angry rush and when she finished she flopped down with a sigh. “And I find this out after I’ve already been severely burned and embarrassed because I couldn’t fix it on my own and I even, for some god forsaken reason, let myself be comforted by him.” <br/>“It doesn’t make you weak, to accept help. Quite the opposite actually.” Pansy said, surprising herself. Ada looked at her suspiciously. <br/>“You sound more like a Hufflepuff than a Slytherin.”<br/>“I know,” Pansy sighed, “but it’s true.”<br/>Ada just shook her head before gingerly grabbing a quilt from the end of her bed.<br/>“I’m going to sleep.”<br/>“Dinner is in less than an hour, do you want me to wake you up for that?”<br/>Ada just shook her head before curling up under the blanket and pulling it over her head. Pansy decided it would be best to leave her so she turned out the lights and gently pulled the door shut behind her. Draco and Blaise were sitting in the common room staring at her when she looked up and she just glared at Draco.<br/>“You’ve done quite a bit of damage today.” was all she said before sitting down next to Blasie with a huff. <br/>“Believe it or not I was actually trying to help for once.” he said defensively and Blasie snorted. <br/>“You sure bungled that up.”<br/>“Yeah, I did.” he sighed. “How do I fix it? I don’t want her to hate me. Pansy, what do you suggest?”<br/>“Maybe start by giving her the letters back. Then you need to talk to her and apologize, actually apologize. Don’t try to do any of the slytherin maneuvering. Then buy her a gift of some sort and maybe, just maybe, she’ll deign to forgive you.”<br/>Draco groaned and covered his face. <br/>“Why are girls so difficult?” he asked.<br/>“Why are guys so stupid?” Pansy fired back.<br/>“Hey!” Blasie protested. “I’m not stupid.”<br/>Pansy just looked at him and smirked which made him pout. <br/>“What kind of gift do I get her? She doesn’t seem the type that would appreciate chocolates and who knows what books she’s already read! Pansy, you have to help me!”<br/>“Mmmm, no. You got yourself into this mess, you can get yourself out. But I suggest you get started now otherwise there’s no way she'll go home for the holiday’s with you and Blaise.”<br/>Draco pushed himself up from his chair with a sigh and went to his room to think. His friends were no help. He pulled out a catalogue from a book shop in Hogsmeade and thoughtfully perused. None of the books caught his eye but he saw a nice set of quill’s with silver nibs. They also came with an inkpot that would never run dry. He quickly sent the order in, Glad he had been able to bring his owl up to his room, rather than having to travel all the way to the owlery. He finished up just as a bell rang from somewhere to signify dinner. <br/>Everyone was seated around a long wooden table that had been set up and he quickly sank into a chair next to Blaise. He looked around and frowned slightly, Ada wasn’t at the table. He looked over at Pansy but she was talking to Theo. He just sat back as Professor McGonagall swept into the room.<br/>“Before you begin your meal I would like to make an announcement that I’m sure you all will be glad to hear. We have decided, through some persuasion,” she nodded to Draco as she said this, “that we would let you go home for the break on Monday. The train leaves at 10:30 sharp so don’t be late. Now enjoy your meal and have a good night, I expect you to be on your best behavior.”<br/>As soon as she finished, food appeared on the table and everyone dug in. The empty space for Ada was right next to him so he put small portions of everything on the plate before casting a warming spell on it. He’d be damned if after everything that had already happened she went hungry. Ada didn’t come out for the entirety of dinner and when he finally got Pansy’s attention she just said that Ada hadn’t wanted to eat. He was growing slightly concerned but decided to wait another hour. When she still didn't come out he walked over to Pansy. <br/>“Would you go check on Ada with me?”<br/>“Chill dude, she’s sleeping.” Pansy said, irritated. <br/>“She hasn’t been to any meals since dinner the night before last. I’m waking her up and she will eat.”<br/>Pansy snorted in derision and shook her head.<br/>“Yeah, that’ll really endear you to her.”<br/>Draco ignored her as he went over to her door with the plate of food and knocked before slowly pushing it open. He turned on the light and ducked just as she sent her pillow flying at him.<br/>“You need to eat, I’ve saved you a plate and it's still warm.” he said, choosing to ignore the pillow she’d sent flying at him.<br/>She didn’t say anything, just pulled her blanket over her head. He set the plate down on her desk and sat at the end of her bed. Tugging the blanket down he smiled as she glared at him. He tried to pull her up into a sitting position with her elbows but she just went limp and flopped back down. <br/>“Look, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I read your letter and that I went and talked to McGonagall about it and I am really sorry that you got burned. I know things are… complicated but I really am sorry.” <br/>Ada just pulled her quilt back on so Draco continued. <br/>“I got you a gift, but I just ordered it so it won't be here until morning. I know it may not seem like it but I’m not completely awful. I am trying to help right now. You haven’t eaten anything substantial since dinner two days ago so you need to eat.”<br/>“I don’t feel like eating.” she said. <br/>Draco smiled slightly. He was making progress, however little it might seem.<br/>“Do you feel like starving?”<br/>“I’m not starving, I’m just too tired to get up and eat right now.”<br/>“What if you didn’t have to get up?” <br/>“Then I may consider it. I’d still have to do something though and that's exhausting. Also, you’re not hand feeding me so good luck.” <br/>“Why not, you wouldn’t have to do anything and you’d still get food into your body.”<br/>“I don’t trust you okay, I already didn’t trust you after last night and today then you hurt me in more ways than one so I definitely don’t trust you now.”<br/>“Okay, that's valid but do you trust anyone here?”<br/>“I trust Blaise and Pansy more than I do you right now.”<br/>“What? Why? You barely know them!”<br/>“I trust them because so far, they haven’t hurt me, humiliated me, or shown any reason not to be trusted.”<br/>“They’re slytherins! No one trusts slytherins, not even other slytherins.”<br/>“That’s because you’re all trained to be suspicious and judgemental by the stigma of your house! Society has trained you to be this way, can't you see it? It's pure psychology and none of you can see past the end of their nose enough to realize it. It's why the teachers came up with this combination scheme in the first place!”<br/>Ada had sat up finally and was gesturing about with her hands as she talked, clearly passionate about this topic. <br/>“What’s psychology?” Draco asked.<br/>“Ugh, pure blood.” She stood up and started looking through her books in her wardrobe. “Psychology is the study of the psyche, or study of the mind. Conley basically says that we learn social behaviors from what we see, hear, read, and experience in our social groups.” she clumsily pushed a book into his hands and started to pace. “Here in the wizarding world you hear slytherins described as untrustworthy, shifty, crooked, dark and other such nonsense. You only really see examples of the worst in public and media labelled as slytherins, you read about all the evil slytherins more than the good and you experience other students act these ways because that's what they've been trained to be by society and then you do the same thing. It's a vicious cycle that is incredibly hard to break. Few people even realize what's happening and try. One theory of development is the blank slate theory that basically says at birth everyone starts out basically good. As they grow up, their environment shapes them and instills their moral code, or lack thereof. At eleven years old you’re still fairly impressionable and so then you come into a world that says slytherins act a certain way. The other houses are trained to see slytherins as basically evil and you yourselves are trained to see yourselves as sneaky, manipulative, dark, and other such nonsense. It's all learned!”<br/>Ada finally stopped to take a breath and looked around. Draco was casually lounging on her bed, which she frowned at, and at some point Blaise and Pansy had come in as well. Blaise was leaning back in one of the desk chairs and Pansy was sitting on her bed, staring thoughtfully at Ada. <br/>“I’m sorry.” Ada said blushing.<br/>“No don’t be sorry, it's an interesting concept. And never apologize for being passionate.” Blaise said.<br/>“It's not just a concept though, if you just look around you can see it happening everywhere.”<br/>“We know, but we’ve seriously digressed. I came in here so that you’d eat, not rant and exhaust yourself further. Besides, you should still be in a fair amount of pain. How are you managing all this?” <br/>“First, I’m a Ravenclaw. When we’re passionate about a thing we tend to rant like this so you can’t really control that. Second, I told you I’m not in the mood to eat. Third, pain is pain. It's not sharp so I can manage it, as long as nothing touches my palms it's bearable.”<br/>“Ada, you do need to eat. It's honestly impressive that you're still standing. After that long without food most teenagers would be shaking, dizzy, or lightheaded.” Pansy said.<br/>“Who says I’m not?” she retorted then immediately wished she could take it back. <br/>“Ada! Sit down right now and eat or I’ll make you!” Draco had jumped up and was staring down at her, daring her to refuse.<br/>They stood there in a sort of standoff for almost a minute before Blaise intervened. He pushed Draco back a couple steps and sent him a warning look. Then just as Ada was looking smug he picked her up by the elbows and deposited her in her desk chair and pushed the food in front of her.<br/>“Draco, chill out or leave. Ada, you need to eat and if you don’t do it of your own free will, I’ll personally hand feed you.” <br/>Both Draco and Ada were at a loss for words but Pansy smiled. Blaise had never had much patience and was almost a Gryfindor in his approach to it. Finally Ada spoke up and Pansy knew things would be interesting because she had a stubborn look in her eyes. <br/>“I’m not eating. I can’t hold a pen right now so I wont be able to hold a fork or spoon. It requires me to move my hands in a rather painful way so I’m not going to do that. You’re not feeding me either, I don’t need your help or pity.”<br/>“You either let us feed you, or I'll bring you to Madame Pomfrey. Both Draco and I are big enough and strong  enough to pick you up and carry you so it won’t be much of a struggle.”<br/>Ada sat for a second, seeming to size him up. She looked first at the plate of food, then at Draco, Pansy, and finally back at Blaise. She briefly tried to pick up the fork but hissed and dropped it again.<br/>“Okay.” she said simply and Blaise pulled over his chair. <br/>He slowly fed her everything on the plate and when she was done he helped her drink a glass of water. She glared at Draco who was lounging on her bed again, reading the psychology book she’d given him. Pansy was curled up on her bed idly watching everyone and smiled at Ada when she made eye contact. Blasie stood to take care of the plate and Ada stood with him. She however moved over to her bed and glared at Draco who just looked up with a smirk. <br/>“Can I help you?”<br/>“You can get off my bed and let me go to sleep.”<br/>“What's in it for me?”<br/>“I don’t hex you.”<br/>“Fair enough.” he sighed as he got up. “Can I borrow this to read?” he asked, lifting up the book.<br/>“As long as you get out of our room and let me go to sleep.”<br/>Draco just held up his hands in surrender and finally left the room. Ada sat down in relief and looked over at Pansy who was again considering her thoughtfully.<br/>“It's not the worst thing you know, to let someone help you or even take care of you.”<br/>Ada just crawled under her bed covers and turned to face the wall. Today had been way too much for her and she honestly just wanted to sleep for the next day and a half. And that's exactly what she did.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Ada finally woke up she felt only slightly less tired than when she went to bed. She groaned as her hands made their pain known to her. She was sure that if they could talk they’d be screaming at her right now. And honestly, she’d be screaming right back. She cast a tempus charm and was surprised that it was already two in the afternoon. She contemplated going back to sleep but she realized that it was improbable that she’d be able too. She needed another pain potion and probably should change out the gauze on her hands. She rolled out of bed, realizing that once more she hadn’t remembered to change into new clothes. She summoned a new shirt and put it on, wincing every time it touched her hands.<br/>When she finally walked out of her room it was empty save for her new group of friends(?) She wasn’t quite sure what to call them but she did like Pansy. She was not at all what Ada had expected. She wasn’t sure about Blaise yet and definitely not sure about Draco. He seemed rather unstable, alternating between rather awful and surprisingly kind and thoughtful. It didn’t make sense. <br/>“How are you doing?” Pansy asked Ada, as she just kind of stood right outside their door.<br/>She shrugged before tentatively coming to sit in a chair a little ways away from the three. She gingerly let her hand rest in her lap and Pansy could tell they really hurt. Draco got up as soon as she sat down and quickly went to his room. When he came back out he had a wooden box in one hand and a small drawstring bag in the other. He cautiously approached Ada and sat on the foot stool in front of her. <br/>“Your apology gift came in the mail this morning. I also wrote to my mum last night after you went to bed and explained what happened. She sent some stuff for the burns that should help a lot. Can I show you?”<br/>Ada nodded and Draco opened first the wooden chest. She gasped at the quills inside and looked at Draco. He nodded and set the box in her lap so she could look at them and touch them. She ran a finger along one gently and smiled at Draco. <br/>“These are beautiful! Thank you.”<br/>“I figured you’d like them. Also, the ink pot it came with won’t ever run dry. Now can I see your hands?”<br/>She nodded and Draco closed the wooden box and set it on the floor before taking her hands. He started unwrapping one as she watched him carefully. When it got down to the last couple layers Draco tried to carefully and gently peel them up but she let out a yelp of pain and drew her hand back. <br/>“Here, take this potion for the pain and I’ll do my best to get it over quickly.” He uncorked a small vial and she let him pour it into her mouth. “It won't be completely painless, will you be able to keep your hand out or do you need someone to hold it?”<br/>“Hold it.” she said tightly. <br/>Draco looked at Blaise who sighed but set down the book he had been reading and came over. Draco moved Ada so that her hand was lying on an end table next to her chair and Blaise came over and gently but firmly held it down. She took a deep breath in as Draco once again picked up the edge of the gauze and before she could think about it he ripped it off. She yelped again and cursed, tears pricking her eyes. Draco took her other hand and unwrapped that one as well, repeating the process of ripping it off. <br/>A few stray tears escaped but she stubbornly refused to cry again. Blaise put a hand on her shoulder to soothe her. She almost shrugged it off but decided not too. He was just trying to help. Draco pulled bandages out of the drawstring bag along with a couple little jars and a few little tightly woven pads. He had Ada put both her hands on the table and opened the first of the little jars. He dipped the corner of a rag into the jar and it came out smeared with a clear gel like substance.<br/>“This will numb it. Mother created it herself so it should work perfectly. Blaise, would you mind holding her wrists again?”<br/>Blaise pinned them down again and Draco covered the blistered skin in a thick layer of the gel. After a few seconds her skin started to tingle and felt as if her hands were ice. It was an odd sensation but better than pain. Draco then opened the second jar and used a new rag to gather some of the blue paste to spread over her palms. When this was done he put a new pad on top of each palm before rewrapping both hands with the new bandages. <br/>“Is that any better?” Draco asked as he put everything back in the bag. <br/>“Yeah, thank you. I can’t feel any pain anymore.”<br/>“It's the least I can do. Mother said that the blue stuff should heal it within a couple days. If you come with us for the holiday she wants to check and make sure they’re healing okay.”he put the drawstring bag on top of the wooden box and picked them up. “Can I put these on your desk for you?” <br/>Ada nodded and sat back in her chair. She summoned a quilt from the pile in the corner of the room and snuggled up in it. When Draco came back out he was holding an envelope that he carried over to Ada. <br/>“An owl delivered this to you, I gave him a treat and sent him off if that's okay.”<br/>Ada looked at him suspiciously before she took the envelope from him. She quickly broke the seal and pulled the letter out, immediately recognizing her oldest brother's sharp writing. She warily started reading. Her face blanched when Draco figured she was about halfway through. She stared at the letter shell shocked before her hand limply dropped into her lap. The three Slytherins watched her warily as she stared off into space for a minute. <br/>“I think I’m going to take a walk.” She whispered before unsteadily getting to her feet. <br/>No one stopped her as she slowly walked out of the room, still clutching the letter. She walked out to the castle grounds and ended up down by the lake, under a snow covered pine tree. She wished she had brought her coat or at least a jacket but she didn’t want to get back inside. She reread the letter again and her chest felt tight.</p><p>Ada,<br/>Since My Mother and Father have decided to disown you I feel that it is no longer necessary to hide this from you any longer. I shall put it simply: you were adopted. During the last war your birth parents were killed and the ministry thought it best to rehome you with another pureblood family so my parents accepted you. They were told you were a boy and disappointed when they actually received you and you were a girl. The paperwork was done however and they had no choice. I was twelve when they came home with a little one year old you. I did some digging once I moved out and found out who your birth family was. I am sad to say that your father was none other than Morpheous Malfoy and hYour mother, his wife Audre . I haven’t told My mother and father and don’t intend to. Now that you are out of their house I thought you should know. Have a pleasant Holiday.</p><p>Lochlan  Cox</p><p>Her entire world came crashing down around her and she wasn’t sure what to do. Even if her homelife hadn’t been great it was still all she had known. Nothing could have prepared her for this. Her brother's calloused and impersonal letter didn’t help either. Attached to the letter was the family tree with her name on it in parentheses under what she assumed was her real name. It had a goblin seal on it so she didn’t doubt its authenticity. Her real name was Elizabeth Audre Malfoy. She sat under that tree, shivering for the better part of half an hour. Just as she was beginning to think about getting up, none other that Draco Malfoy crept under the pine to sit next to her. He held out a thick blue sweater to her and she took it gratefully. As she pulled it on she realized it must belong to Draco as it was much too big on her. <br/>Once she pulled it on she let Draco pull her against his side, glad for the extra warmth. She silently handed him the letter and family tree and looked out at the lake as he read it. She was afraid of what he would say when he finished. For some absurd reason she assumed that he’d be upset or disappointed. She knew that logically it was a result of her parents chronic disapproval and disappointment of her but that didn’t allay her fears. Once he was done examining the letter and its attachment he folded the letter again and passed it back to her. Then he hugged her tightly. <br/>“We thought we’d never find you.” he whispered hoarsely into the top of her head. “Father searched everywhere but kept running up against the ministry. I’ve only seen him cry twice and both times were over you.”<br/>“What?”<br/>“After the war was over Mother and Father searched everywhere for you but you were nowhere to be found. Your files were destroyed by the ministry, the person who placed you obliviated so no one knew anything. You should have been given to us since Uncle had named my parents as your godparents but the ministry still thought Father had been on Voldemort’s side.”<br/>Draco suddenly jumped up and pulled Ada/with him. <br/>“Come on, we have to tell him!”<br/>“Wait Draco, slow down. I’m still processing. I just found out that my entire life I’ve believed a lie. You can’t just go off like that!”<br/>“You’re right.” he said. “We do need to go inside though, you’re still shivering.”<br/>She nodded and followed him up to the castle. As she walked, Ada was deep in thought. She was logically weighing things out in her mind. On the one hand, her adoptive family had been rather awful. She’d never been shown a scrap of affection from either parent and her brothers were ten and twelve years older than her so she never even really knew them. They were always at Hogwarts. That family was all she had ever known. On the other hand, her ‘family’ had just kicked her out. Surely the Malfoy’s couldn’t be much worse than her old family. And they were her biological family after all, and Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy were her godparents. She would be seventeen in just a month so if things didn’t work out she’d be an adult and wouldn’t have to stay. <br/>She was so busy thinking that she didn’t notice when they entered into the castle and definitely didn’t notice that she had been walking up stairs until she tripped over the top stair of their floor. Draco caught the back of her sweater before she could fall and steadied her. She flashed a grateful smile at him and he smiled back. When they got back to the common room everyone else was already there, about to sit down for dinner.<br/>Pansy and Blaise smirked at Draco and he shrugged. He’d tell them after dinner. Ada sat down next to him quietly. She didn’t say anything throughout the entire meal. She honestly didn’t even really eat unless Draco prompted her too, just pushed her food around while staring off into space. She was the last one at the table and seemed to come to with a start when Draco touched her elbow. <br/>“Are you done?”<br/>“What? Oh yeah, sorry.” she said, pushing her plate away and standing up.<br/>She went over to a group of chairs that was away from most of their other housemates and curled up in one. She leaned back and closed her eyes briefly but opened them when Blaise, Draco and Pansy sat down in the other chairs around her.  <br/>“Ada, are you doing all right?” Pansy asked and Ada nodded.<br/>“I’m fine, just needed to process some rather shocking information.”<br/>“Can I tell them?” Draco asked eagerly, still very excited about the news.<br/>Ada nodded again and Draco sat forward grinning. <br/>“Do you remember me telling you about my cousin Elizabeth who disappeared when her parents died?” Pansy and Blaise nodded and he went on. “Ada just got a letter from her brother saying that she was adopted and he sent her her real family tree from the Goblins.Turns out her real name is Elizabeth Audre Malfy, her parents Morpheus and Audre Malfoy! After years of searching we finally found her!”<br/>Pansy and Blasie sat in shock for a moment before Pansy smiled broadly. <br/>“That's great Draco, your father will be absolutely ecstatic!” Blaise said and he patted Draco on the back.<br/>“How do you feel about it all, Ada? Or should I say Elizabeth?” Pansy asked.<br/>“I’m not sure yet.” she shrugged. “I guess I’ll have to see how the holiday’s go and please just call me Ada for now.” she said. <br/>“Fair enough. So that means you are going to Malfoy Manor over break?”<br/>“Look like it.” Ada replied. “Speaking of, I need to pack. Please excuse me.”<br/>She rose from her chair and took a couple steps before turning back.<br/>“Sorry Draco, just give me a sec and I can give you your sweater back.” She started to pull it off but Draco just waved his hand. <br/>“Keep it, I never wear it anyways.” <br/>She flashed him a grateful smile and went to her room to start packing. Draco looked at his friends who were grinning at him. He smiled back and stood up. <br/>“I can’t wait to tell my father, all he’s done since he lost her is look and search. He and my mother are going to be so happy!”<br/>“You’re pretty happy too. All that rubbish about you never wearing that sweater, we all know it's your favorite but you gave it to her cause you’re really just a big softy.” Pansy teased.<br/>Draco just shrugged and went to write to his parents. It's a good thing they were leaving in the morning  or they might come and retrieve Ada themselves.</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next morning arrived cold and grey. All the seventh and eight years going home stood in the great hall, waiting for the carriages to pull up. This time around, everyone was expecting the Therestrals and weren't scared when they showed up. Ada got into a carriage with Draco, Blaise and Pansy and tried not to shiver as the cold penetrated her thin coat, the only one she had. Draco noticed and draped his arm around her shoulders and tucked her to his side to keep her warm. She stiffened originally but relaxed after a second.<br/>There were only about fifty kids total going home between the seventh and eighth years so they were able to really spread out along the train. Draco found a compartment that was pretty isolated for them and they all lugged their trunks in. Blaise took Ada's trunk and put it up for her and she nodded her thanks. They all settled in for the two hour ride and were pretty quiet for the most part. <br/>Ada hadn’t slept well the night before and she yawned tiredly as she settled back on the bench she and Draco shared. She was apprehensive of meeting Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, even more so at the reality of them actually being her only family. She stole a glance at Draco but quickly looked away when she realized he was watching her. <br/>“Do you want to lay down?” he asked.<br/>She considered it for a second and then nodded. She let Draco pull her down so that she was basically using him as a pillow and could put her legs and feet up on the rest of the bench. Draco carded his fingers through her hair and she closed her eyes at the soothing sensation. She fell asleep pretty much as soon as they left Hogsmead.<br/>Draco looked down at the head in his lap and smiled gently. He still couldn’t believe he’d found her! His father had been obsessed with finding her and so of course Draco had been too. He had always hoped that he would one day find her at Hogwarts but after the war  he had feared she had been among those killed. He had just about given up on her but here she was, sleeping on him. He looked up and found Pansy smiling at him. She and Blaise were the only ones who knew how much this meant to him and his family. <br/>When they neared the Platform Draco gently shook Ada’s shoulder to wake her up. She sighed but opened her eyes and blearily sat up. She looked out the window just as they pulled into the platform and her expression became guarded. Draco pulled their trunks down from the rack and she whispered her thanks. Blaise and Draco led the way and Ada hung back a little. When they disembarked from the train she momentarily got separated from her group and decided just to stand still for a second, until the crowd had dispersed. Once it had she realized that Draco had stopped to wait for her and she hurried to catch up. Pansy said her quick goodbyes once Ada was there and she hugged her.<br/>“Don’t let them scare you.” she whispered to Ada. “They’re all bark and no bite. Write if you need anything.”<br/>Ada nodded and smiled at Pansy. In just the past couple days, she’d come to like the other girl. Pansy quickly hugged Blaise and Draco before going to where her family was waiting for her. Ada hesitantly followed Draco and Blaise to the other end of the platform. When she saw the stern looking Malfoy’s she had second thoughts about all this. She was mostly hidden by the two boys in front of her and so Mr. Malfoy didn’t see her at first.<br/>“Where is she?” he asked Draco, frowning.<br/>“Right here father.” Draco said and Ada warily stepped forward to stand between Draco and Blaise. <br/>Mr. Malfoy stared at her for a second, almost unbelieving. He stepped forward and pulled her into a tight hug, trying not to cry. She was tense but didn’t push him away. <br/>“Elizabeth.” He whispered. <br/>A few stray tears slipped down his face as he held her an arms length away to look at her properly. She was small and slim, with the Malfoy grey eyes and pale skin. She had her mothers dark wavy hair and dainty facial features. Mr. Malfoy looked at Narcissa who had tears freeley streaming down her face. Narcissa reached out and gently stroked Ada’s cheek, almost as if she was afraid Ada would break.<br/>Ada was a little uncomfortable with the attention. No one had ever looked at her with such love and they didn’t even know her, not really. When she felt like it was too much, she stepped back to the relative emotional safety of Draco and Blaise. Draco stepped forward next to embrace his parents and they hugged him just as tight as they had Ada. Blaise shook hands with Mr. Malfoy and hugged Mrs. Malfoy. When Draco stepped back he bumped her elbow and smiled when she looked at him. She managed a tight smile back and looked back to Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. <br/>“I suppose you lot would prefer to go home rather than standing on this drafty platform.” Mr. Malfoy said after a second or two of awkward silence. <br/>The three nodded in various levels of enthusiasm and grabbed their trunks. Ada winced slightly and realized the numbing from last night must be wearing off. She carried on, however, as if nothing was wrong. She followed the boys as they left the platform and into the rest of King’s Cross. A car was waiting for them outside the station and the three teenagers heaved their trunks into the trunk, grateful for the expanding charm on it.<br/>Inside the car looked quite normal which surprised Ada. She was once again sandwiched between Blaise and Draco and was starting to wonder if they did it on purpose. Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy were on the bench across from them and whenever Ada looked up from her hands she saw them both looking at her as if afraid she would disappear. At this point she was starting to wish she could, all the attention made her uncomfortable and anxious. <br/>Once they got outside the city the car did some sort of weird jum thing that left Ada’s stomach lurching unpleasantly. They pulled through a set of large ornate gates with the Malfoy crest on them and she was awed by the estate. Snow covered everything in a pure white blanket and even though it hadn’t been snowing outside the gates, it was softly falling here. The manor itself had lights spilling from every window. It looked like a postcard.They pulled up right in front of the house and as she got out she couldn’t help but stare.<br/>“It's beautiful, isn't it?” Mrs. Malfoy said softly, coming to stand by the girl.<br/>Ada just nodded and kept looking around, taking in the beauty. Draco unloaded her trunk for her and seeing that she was enraptured by the scene he took it inside for her. He followed his father to the room that he and mother had prepared for her and set the trunk at the end of her bed. When he went back to the stairs he found his mother and Ada just coming in from the cold and smiled. His mother looked so at peace just having the girl beside her. Draco also noticed that Ada was shivering in her thin coat and made a note to either remind her to wear a heavier one out or to get her a new one.  <br/>Blaise came up right behind him and nudged Draco. Blaise had stayed with them over summer so he just took his old room next to Draco’s. As Ada took off her coat Blaise noticed her wince and pointed it out quietly to Draco. He just nodded his acknowledgement and the two of them went down the stairs to join Draco’s parents and Ada in the parlour. A house elf had already brought in tea so Draco and Blaise helped themselves before settling down. Mrs. Malfoy smiled warmly at the two boys and Draco couldn’t help but feel at peace to finally be home. <br/>“So Elizabeth, would you like to help us learn more about you?” Mr. Malfoy asked. <br/>“I guess. What do you want to know?” she replied.<br/>“We can start with school, if that's all right.  Draco said you’re a Ravenclaw but that's about all we know. What are your favorite subjects?”<br/>“Umm, I like potions and arithmetic. I don’t really care for divination though. It's pointless.”<br/>“Potions? Severus didn’t scare you off?” Mrs. Malfoy asked, surprised.<br/>“Not at all, he’s so intense because if you don’t take it seriously, people could be really hurt or die. He’s intense because he needs to be.”<br/>“Interesting.” Mr. Malfoy said. “And Arithmancy?”<br/>“Before Hogwarts I attended a muggle primary school because I’d get too bored at home. We did arithmetic, or math, and arithmancy is the closest Hogwarts has to that.”<br/>“Were you involved in any extracurriculars?”<br/>Ada looked down at her lap anxiously.<br/>“No, I preferred to use my free time to read and do my own research projects as well as keep up with some of my muggle studies. I’m sorry.”<br/>“Don’t apologize, it's great that you had the drive to do all that on your own. Means you’ll be successful in life. What muggle subject was your favorite?”<br/>“I really like literature because I got to read a wide variety of books and stories. Arithmetic was fun too, though, because math is so perfect. It has rules and it follows those rules no exception. There’s no better feeling than working an equation perfectly and getting the answer the first time.” <br/>“That sounds wonderful. So what was it like with your adoptive family?” Mr. Malfoy asked.<br/>The quick turnaround caught Ada off guard and she hesitated for a second. She didn’t want to lie but she also knew her family hadn’t been the greatest and she didn’t want to bother the Malfoy’s with it.<br/>“They were fine.” she settled on saying. <br/>Mrs. Malfoy frowned. <br/>“Just fine? Were they abusive?”<br/>“What? No, not abusive. We just all kind of kept our distance. I never felt connected to them and they certainly were never connected with me. They left me alone for the most part and I did my best to leave them alone.”<br/>“Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy exchanged a worried look that Ada missed since she was looking down at her hands in her lap. They were really starting to hurt now. The Malfoy’s decided not to press it for now but turned the conversation to the past semester. They spent close to two hours in the parlour talking before Mrs. Malfoy noticed that Ada was starting to look tired. She looked at the other two boys and realized that they were as well so she gracefully interrupted the easy debate over the pros and cons of having four separate Hogwarts houses. <br/>“I’m sure you lot could continue arguing for another few hours but I for one am a tad exhausted and I’m sure you three are too.” She said with a smile at the teens. “Would you all like to unpack your trunks and settle in?” <br/>They nodded and Narcissa smiled again as they stood up. Ada looked a small bit more comfortable than she had been at first so that was a good sign. She looked around uncertainty though as the boys left and Mrs. Malfoy realized she hadn’t been shown her room yet.<br/>“Come with me dear, I’ll help you get settled in.”<br/> Ada followed the matriarch up the stairs and was slightly in awe again of the grandeur of the manor. They climbed the stairs to the second floor and then walked down a long halfway to the end. Narcissa opened the last door on the right and then stepped aside so Ada could go in.<br/>There was a twin bed centered along one wall. There were two walls of windows, each with a large arching window that overlooked the vast Malfoy estate. A simple dresser ran along the wall the bed wasn’t on. <br/>“I know its barebones right now but we wanted you to be able to design it however you wish. Tomorrow we could start working on it if you like.”<br/>“That would be nice.” Ada said softly. <br/>She noticed her trunk at the end of her bed and realized she had been so distracted when she first arrived she hadn’t even thought about it.<br/>“I’ll let you have some time to make yourself at home. Just ask if you need anything.” Mrs. Malfoy said and turned to leave. “Oh, and that door right there is to your bathroom. We can figure out what products best suit your hair later.” <br/>“Thank you Mrs. Malfoy.”<br/>Please feel free to call me Aunt Narcissa, or simply Narcissa if you prefer.” she smiled at the timid girl before leaving. <br/>Once Narcissa had left, Ada sat down on the edge of her bed and looked around. It was a pretty spacious room and it was easy to imagine a bookshelf and a cozy chair in the corner near her bed. A desk would be great under one of the windows too. She went to feel the soft quilt on her bed but winced at the movement. The numbing had definitely worn off. She summoned the little drawstring bag from her school stachel. <br/>She clumsily pulled it open and dumped the two jars on the bed next to her as well as a couple more little pads. She started painfully unwrapping her right hand since it hurt more. Once the bandage was off she lifted the pad and was relieved to see it wasn’t sticking like the gauze had. She realized she needed a rag but didn’t know where to find one. She was just contemplating using the sleeve of her t-shirt, it was just a hand-me-down from her brother anyways, when a house elf popped in. <br/>“Missus Narissa sent Barty in to say that when yous likes you can come downstairs and she’s will be giving you a tour.”<br/>“Thank you Barty.” Ada said.<br/>Barty smiled and bowed to the girl and was just about to leave when she realized there was a solution to her problem.<br/>“Barty, would you be willing to get me a rag please?” <br/>“Yes ma’am, would you like me to also let Missus Narcissa know that yous be needing help with your hands?”<br/>“Oh, no please. Don’t bother her with that, I can do it on my own but thank you.” <br/>Barty nodded and popped back out and Ada stood up to go look out her windows as she waited. After a minute a rag appeared on her bed with a sharp snap that startled her slightly. She levitated all the things she needed and brought them into the bathroom so that she could use the faucet. She wet one corner of the rag and wiped yesterday's gooey mess off as gently as she could. She tried to breathe deeply and ignore the pain but wasn’t very successful. Her eyes smarted but she didn’t want to cry so it took her a very long time to get everything off. She would pause between every dab to steel herself for the next one. When she was finally done she breathed a sigh of relief. She went to unscrew the lid of the jar of the numbing gel when someone knocked on her bedroom door frame. <br/>“Just a second.” she called and then silently cursed. <br/>She decided she’d just hold her hands behind her back as she walked out of the bathroom. Draco stood in her door frame and she wanted to curse again. Instead she conjured up a small smile.<br/>“Just wanted to see if you needed help or anything.” he said.<br/>“Nah, I’m good but thank you.”<br/>“How are your hands? Blaise noticed you winced earlier when you took off your coat.”<br/>“What? They’re fine. He must have just imagined it.”<br/>“Sure.” Draco gave Ada a suspicious look and stepped closer to her. “Would you mind if I took a look at them just to make sure?”<br/>“Draco, I’m fine. Honestly. You're such a mother hen!”<br/>“You’re lying straight through your teeth right now. Let me see your hands.”<br/>Ada shook her head and tried to back up but Draco was faster. He reached out and grabbed one of her wrists. Unfortunately for her it was the one she’d already unwrapped. She tried to tug away but he just glared at her and she sighed in defeat. <br/>“Is everything in your bathroom?” he asked her and she nodded. <br/>He made her sit down on her bed before he went to retrieve everything. He sat down next to her and pulled her hands so that they rested on his knees. He unwrapped her other hand as well and inspected them before using the rag and repeating the process from last night. <br/>“They are already looking better. Mother says it will only take a few days for them to heal with this stuff.” he nodded to the blue jar. <br/>“They still hurt like hell.” Ada muttered darkly. <br/>Draco just laughed at her. She was just like a grumpy toddler who didn’t get their way but was still behaved enough not to throw an all out tantrum. When he finished wrapping up both her hands he patted her knee and stood up. <br/>“Mother said to meet her downstairs whenever you're ready. She’ll give you a tour before dinner.” <br/>Ada nodded and watched him leave before standing up herself. She supposed it would be best not to keep the matriarch waiting. Before she left though she pulled out a threadbare jumper, it was rather cold here. <br/>She slowly crept through the long hallway staring at everything around here. Beautiful paintings of red sunsets and green meadows lined the halls. From the top of the stairs she stared down at the simple but elegant entry hall and sighed. She felt so out of place here. <br/>Her adoptive family had been purebloods but they were incredibly frugal so they lived in a modest two level farmhouse. She had only ever known hand-me-downs from her brothers or clothes from muggle thrift stores. Her first brand new clothes, perhaps since she had been a baby had been the new robes she bought herself in her fifth year once she’d finally stopped growing. She’d worked all summer to get all new things for school and had just barely had enough. What was she doing here? She caught sight of Narcissa walking through and hurried down the stairs to meet her. <br/>“Ah Elizabeth, there you are! Would you like to see the rest of the place?”<br/>“Sure, I’d love too. Thank you Mrs. Narcissa.”<br/>“You make me feel old when you say that! Remember what I said earlier?”<br/>“Sorry Aunt Narcissa.” <br/>“There we go.” she smiled warmly and took the girl by the elbow, leading her through the first floor. <br/>They saw the kitchens, dining room, front parlour, ball room, and the sun room before heading up the stairs. The second floor was all bedrooms on the left side and Ada learned where everyone was situated. Then they went down the right hall and stopped before the one set of doors on the left side. Narcissa pushed them open and Ada gasped.<br/>It was a huge Library! It rivaled the hogwarts in size but instead of sprawling out it sprawled up. Books lined every wall and created a maze on the ground. The shelves towered up impossibly and Ada couldn’t wait to get lost in the middle of it. She walked in and just smelled the air. It was thick with the smell of old books and it made her grin like a child on christmas morning. <br/>“Would you like to stay here for a little bit?” Narcissa asked, pleased at the joy on the girl's face. <br/>She just nodded and walked into one of the rows, her fingers trailing along the spines of books. Narcissa watched her till she disappeared then left to go check on her son and blaise, who might as well be her son at this point.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Please comment and tell me how I'm doing. Also if you have any suggestions please feel free to share them with me!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ada was amazed at the library. They had books on every subject imaginable. They even had a collection of muggle books by authors such as Charles Dickens and Edgar Allen Poe. She found A Christmas Carol and sat down against the shelf to read it. She was soon completely lost in the grey and dismal world scrooge had created for himself. Just as the third ghostly visitor was about to introduce himself someone started running their fingers through her hair and she started. She looked up and saw Draco standing above her smiling a little. Blaise was behind him and just rolled his eyes behind Draco’s back. <br/>“Are you ready for dinner?” Draco asked her.<br/>She nodded and started to stand up and groaned. She hadn’t shifted position the entire time she had been reading and she was sore. Draco just shook his head at her. <br/>“You’re a down right mess, you know that?” <br/>Ada glared at him and stalked off through the maze of bookshelves. She’d thankfully remembered how to get out and was able to walk down completely alone. The boys had decided it was best just to let her go off rather than risk her ire. They all met up at the top of the stairs and Ada hung back to follow behind the boys. She realized that both had changed into slightly nicer clothing than their school clothes and looked down at herself, feeling out of place in her threadbare jumper and worn jeans.<br/>When they entered the dining room Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy were already there, sitting at one end of a long table. Ada followed Blaise to one side as Draco went to sit beside his mother. Once they had all sat down the meal appeared on the table with a bit of house elf magic. Ada was amazed at how much food had been prepared for them. She looked at Draco and he looked pointedly at her and she sighed. She filled her plate and slowly started to eat.<br/>Dinner was a rather quiet affair. Draco and Blaise were too busy eating like true teenage boys to say anything and Ada was still too uncomfortable to say much. Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy attempted to start a conversation a few times but Ada only answered direct questions and the boys could have cared less about talking. Ada ate what she could, which wasn’t very much, and then pushed her food around on her plate. She desperately wished she could be back upstairs in the library.<br/>Draco noticed how little she ate but didn’t say anything. He’d bring her something later. He had missed this quality of food while he was at Hogwarts. School food was fine but the houselves all knew exactly what he liked and how he liked it and nothing could compare to that. Once he and Blaise finished eating the meal disappeared and Draco stood up to stretch. Everyone else stood up as well and started to disperse. Ada went straight back upstairs while Blaise and Draco headed outside for a little bit before bed. Narcissa and Lucius went to the parlour to talk for a bit while their teenagers did their own thing.<br/>“Narcissa, did you notice how little Elizabeth ate?”<br/>“I did.” she said measuredly. <br/>“Should we be concerned?”<br/>“Not at this point. Remember that her entire world has just been turned upside down. If it continues though we may want to talk to her.”<br/>Lucius nodded thoughtfully. He’d ask Draco too, if she normally ate like that. The couple settled into their normal evening routine and were more at peace than they had been in years. Ada had quickly gone to her room to change into her pajamas before she headed back to the library. As she pushed the door open and was once again filled with awe. She traced her path back to where she had left A Christmas Carol  and settled back down to finish the book. <br/>Draco came into the library a little later and found Ada asleep with her book in her lap. He smiled at the sight before summoning one of his blankets to wrap around her. He picked her up and carried her out of the maze so he could put her in bed. <br/>She wasn’t aware that she was falling asleep until she sort of woke up. As she gradually came back into consciousness she realized that she was warm and wrapped in something soft. Her next discovery was that she was being held and whoever was holding her was carrying her someplace. She felt oddly safe and comfortable and didn’t want to open her eyes so she let herself fall back asleep.<br/>Draco looked down at the girl in his arms and felt a wave of protectiveness wash over him. The more he learned about her the more things didn’t add up. He was concerned about what he might learn but even more concerned that he’d never be able to figure out exactly what she had gone through. He believed that she genuinely thought that her life had been normal and that her experience was common. He walked into her room and managed to wandlessly get the covers to fly back. He gingerly sat on the side of her bed and tried to set her down. <br/>She made a small noise and clutched his shirt and he sighed. He decided he’d hold her just a little bit longer before he’d try again. In this moment she was more like a small child than his teenage cousin. He managed to sit back on her bed so that his back was against the wall and he shifted her so that he could pull out the book she had been reading. He opened it and started to read so that he’d have something to do. <br/>The book was engaging and he soon became oblivious to the rest of the world and thus, was surprised when Blaise whispered his name and plucked the book out of his hands. <br/>“Hey, I was reading!” Draco whispered back fiercely. <br/>“I know, I tried to get you attention three times.”<br/>“What do you need?”<br/>“Your dad wants to ask us a few questions about her, they received a letter that's making them concerned about her time with her previous family.”<br/>Draco’s mouth tightened into a grim line and he nodded. He gently moved Ada so that she was lying down on her bed before he covered her with the quilt on her bed. She curled up under it clutching the balnet Draco had given her. He stood up and followed Blaise out, closing the door gently behind him. <br/>Blaise and Draco headed to the parlour where Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy were still seated. Both boys took a seat on the couch facing the two and waited quietly as Mr. Malfoy finished rereading the letter in question. He then passed the letter off to the two boys to read. Draco immediately recognized the handwriting front he letter Ada had received.</p><p> </p><p>To Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, <br/>I heard that Ada has joined you for Christmas and I am relieved she has done so.  As you are her blood family I feel you should know a few things. First know that I was unable to say anything while Ada was living with my Family for fear that she would face the repercussions. Forgive me but I believed  it was best for her at the time. Second, she has no idea that her life was far from normal. It's amazing she has turned out the way she did, any lesser person would be a very obvious mess. My parents were far from nurturing to this child. They had thought she was a boy until she was dropped off at our house. I remember watching them look down at the child with utter disgust. They only gave her the bare minimum care needed  for the child to survive. My younger brother and I did what we could to help the child but soon learned that if we were caught the consequences were rather harsh. When she grew older they largely left her alone and not in a good way. She had learned out to dress, and bathe herself by the age of three. At four she had already had to learn how to make her own food.  every time I saw her she was a painfully small child. She ate only the small amounts of food she was allowed and she was underweight and malnourished. She never received affection from my parents and the only attention she received was negative. They often took away food  and locked her away for imagined wrongdoings. In short, she had a horrible childhood and you need to understand that before trying to help her.  <br/>The last time I saw her was for a short week this summer. I came home at my mothers request. While I was there I watched Ada and was disturbed to see that she was just as horribly treated as before. She ate less than family dog. She spent most of the week locked in her room but when she wasn’t she was silent. I tried to touch her once to give her just a small amount of comfort and she flinched so I suspect They started hitting her at some point . <br/>She needs so much help but doesn;t even realize it and if she did she still probably wouldn't accept it willingly. Please help her and show her that my parents were very wrong in how they treated her. Give her all the affection and love you can and more if possible. I am sorry that I did nothing to prevent her horrible treatment. PLease take care of Ada.<br/>Lochlan Cox</p><p>Draco had been reading over Blaise’s shoulder and grew angry as he read what Ada had endured. Blaise, for his part, felt surprisingly of the girl now. He had had similar abuse at the hands of his parents and didn’t wish that on anyone, especially someone like Ada. He was amazed at her strength but couldn’t help but wonder how long until she would crash. Once Draco and Blaise had finished they looked to Mr. Malfoy.<br/>“Had either of you noticed anything unusual about her?”<br/>Blaise was surprisingly the first one to speak up.<br/>“She missed a lot of meals and when she was there she ate very small amounts. It was as if she couldn’t physically eat as much as a normal kid her age. She was also very skittish. When people raised their voices she would flinch.”<br/>“She also apologizes a lot for things that aren’t her fault or things she has no control over. She even apologizes for having the basic needs of a human being. She doesn’t know how to let someone take care of her. It seems like no one ever has either.” Draco added.<br/>Mr. Malfoy sighed and rubbed his temples. He couldn’t help but feel that this was all his fault and he knew that he would do anything and everything he could to help the child. <br/>“Okay, anything else I should know?”<br/>After a second Draco spoke up again.<br/>“I think she’s very affection and touch starved. She doesn’t willingly accept it but already in the past two days she’s unconsciously reached out  to be comforted and loved. She can’t accept it though if she’s thinking and aware of it.”<br/>“How so?” Narcissa asked.<br/>“Well, when she burned her hands she let me hug her and soothe her but as soon as she became aware of it through the pain she pushed me away. Then just now she fell asleep in the library while reading so I picked her up and carried her back to her room. When I tried to put her down on her bed she clung to me even though she was asleep and she slept on top of me until Blaise came. She desperately wants and needs it but she can't accept it yet.”<br/>Before Mr. Malfoy could respond, a house elf tentatively came in. <br/>“Sirs and ma’am, I’s figured you should know that the Misses upstairs is sick. She’s be having a rather high fever.”<br/>“Thank you, Ditsy.” Mr Malfoy said as he rose and pulled Narcissa up with him. <br/>The group went upstairs to Ada’s room with the two boys trailing slightly behind. Narcissa immediately went over to the girl and checked her temperature against her hand before frowning. She rose gracefully and quickly went to fetch a thermometer and a basin of cool water with some cloth. The three men stood back and let Narcissa do her thing, watching anxiously. <br/>“She has a fever of 102 right now. I don’t have the cause or any previous medical information with allergies and such so at this point I’m not going to give her any potions for the fever. What we can do however is keep her cool and make sure she stays hydrated. I also think I’m going to give her a nutrient potion so that she won't lose weight while she’s sick.”<br/>Narcissa sat down on the bed next to the girl and conjured up a little table for the basin and rags. She dipped one into the water and wrung it out before gently laying it on Ada’s head. Mr. Malfoy herded the boys out and told them to go to bed for now. <br/>The four took shifts throughout the night attending to the girl. Ada slept restlessly through the night but didn’t wake up. While Blaise took a turn the three malfoys took a small breakfast in the kitchen. Narcissa had spent the most time awake and was blearily staring into space. Ada frequently tossed and turned causing the rags to slide off. They needed to be changed every couple of minutes too because of how warm she was. <br/>While Blaise laid a new rag on Ada’s face he studied her carefully. She was small, so small. Not only was she only a couple inches over five feet but she was painfully thin. He could easily circled both wrists with one hand and have his fingers overlap. He immediately noticed as she slowly opened her eyes and blinked. They were slightly glazed over with the fever. <br/>“Ada, how are you feeling?” he asked softly.<br/>“My throat hurts.”<br/>“Do you want some water?” he asked, already moving to the glass on the table beside him. <br/>She nodded and tried to sit up but when she pushed down on her hands pain shot through them and she hissed as she collapsed back down. Blaise helped her sit up and lean against him as he held the cup to her lips. She tried to drink but he tipped it back too far and it spilled. She jumped at the cold and he cursed. <br/>“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” She cracked out frantically.<br/>“Hey, it’s okay.” <br/>Ada was trying to sit up and clean it up while apologizing almost tearfully. <br/>“Ada, calm down” Blaise said firmly as he caught her wrists to make her stop. “It’s okay, do you understand? You don’t need to apologize.” <br/>Ada just burst into tears and Blaise looked at her sadly before pulling her into a hug. He knew how she felt and her fever just made thing ten times worse. She probably wasn’t even aware of where she was. As she cried Blaise moved to sit next to her on the bed and held onto her, smoothing her hair as she cried into his shoulder she ended up crying herself to sleep so Blaise imitated Draco and sat up at the head of bed with her curled up against his side. He cast a cooling charm over her and then sat back and closed his eyes. If she was sleeping then he might as well sleep too.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Please tell me what you think and give suggestions!</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Please, please, please give me feedback ya'll. I have no idea how I'm doing and I also don't have an editor so please tell me if you see any missing words, misspellings, or grammar issues. I don't always catch them before I post.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Blaise woke up the glare of the sun told him it was probably late afternoon. He stretched before realizing that Ada wasn't next to him. As he frantically looked around he say her sitting on the floor in the corner farthest from the bed. She was in the old jumper she had worn the night before and was engrossed in a book. Her face still looked pale but she didn't look feverish anymore. He wondered at what point the fever had broken and why she wasn't sleeping the sickness off. She seemed to sense his eyes on her and looked up warily from her book.</p><p>"How are you feeling?" Blaise asked her.</p><p>Ada just shrugged in response and pulled her knees up closer to her chest. He noticed that she couldn't seem to make eye contact and looked back down at her book. Blaise stretched before sitting up on the edge of her bed. He studied her before leaving the room to find Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, they'd want to know that Ada was awake. As he passed closer to Ada he saw her tense up just slightly and he frowned to himself. He hated that she had been taught how to act like this. Blaise walked down the hall trying to find the Malfoy parents without much success. He finally summoned a house elf and she told Blaise that Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy had left to pick up a few items in Diagon Alley. Just as the house elf popped out, Draco walked around the corner and saw Blaise standing in the hall. The slowly started to walk </p><p>"How's Ada doing?" Draco asked.</p><p>"She was awake when I woke up but she had curled up in the furthest corner from me. When I walked past to go find someone else she flinched. It was as if she was expecting me to hit her or something." </p><p>The boys paused by Draco's door but kept talking as Draco briefly went in to grab a jumper. </p><p>"What are we going to do with her?" Draco asked tiredly.</p><p>"Well, we'll have to make the best of things for now."</p><p>"I just didn't expect things to be this difficult. Or that she'd be this messed up. It's going to take so much longer than I anticipated."</p><p>"Maybe, maybe not. Just try not to worry about it so much." Blaise slung an arm over Draco's shoulder and they went to Ada's room. </p><p>Draco knocked on the door softly but when there was no answer he quietly opened the door. Ada had gone back into bed and was sound asleep under a thin blanket that Draco didn't recognize. He figured it was hers from the worn look of it. Both boys decided to just leave her be for now, she needed the rest.</p><p>Once her door clicked shut Ada slowly opened her eyes. She'd heard the conversation Draco and Blaise had had down the hall and was overwhelmed by guilt. She knew that she was hard to deal with and take care of. She should have realized sooner how much of a burden she was to the Malfoy's. She refused to cry about it though so she just gathered her things up and put them in her trunk before shrinking the trunk and slipping it into her pocket. She grabbed her coat and cracked her door open to see if she could hear the boys still. </p><p>When she decided that things were all quiet she quietly crept down the hall and to the stairs. She still didn't hear anyone so she silently descended into the entry hall and out of Malfoy Manor. She was smart enough to realize that dissapparating from the grounds wasn't going to work so she set off briskly towards the gate at the end of the drive. She climbed up and over the wall before apparating to her small hometown. She knew she couldn't actually go home but there was a small inn she could stay at for the holidays. She had saved up enough over the past few years of working summers that it would't be a problem. It was a short walk from where she was to the Inn so she set off, grateful that there was less wind than there had been at the Manor. Her coat did all right unless it was windy. </p><p>Once she was at the inn it was relatively simple to get a room for the next couple weeks. She pretty much just collapsed on the bed, though, when she got up to her room. As she pulled the covers up she realized that the fever must be back. Her hands didn't bother her much though, it was just a very dull pain that was easy to push to the back of her mind. As she fell asleep she realized that she hadn't remembered to tell the innkeeper not to let anyone know she was here but she didn't have the energy to get out of bed.</p><p>For the next three days Ada slept fitfully. She knew she was still sick but she couldn't ask anyone for help, nor did she want to. On the third day she managed to drag herself out of bed to go find something to drink and soothe her now sore throat. She pulled her hair back so she wouldn't have to actually do it and she pulled in a new pair of jeans with a thick jumper. As she studied herself in the mirror she recognized that she looked like a phantom but couldn't do much about it. </p><p>She stepped out of her room and locked the door behind her before shakily setting off through the hallway and down the stairs. She knew the dining hall would still be serving breakfast despite the fact that it was nearly noon so she'd find some sort of juice she could grab there. She could hear the sounds of peoples voices before she even turned the corner and was almost overwhelmed by the noise level when she was inside the room. She was surrounded by all sorts of families and children merrily eating breakfast and relaxing during their first few days of winter vacation. She managed to thread her way through the mass of people and grabbed a plastic cup from a stack next to the drink area. She poured herself a cup of apple juice and tried to find someplace out of the way to sit. She had just started towards a table in the back corner when she tripped over someones bag and started to fall towards the ground. Before she even realized what was happening someone grabbed her and pulled her upright. She frowned as she processed and realized her juice somehow hadn't spilled. When she looked up to see who had caught her she was startled to see the grinning faces of Fred and George Weasley. </p><p>"Oh! Hello." Ada managed to say.</p><p>"Surprised to see us?" George asked.</p><p>Ada just nodded and stared at them for a moment longer.</p><p>"I'm sorry, I have to go. Thank you for catching me though." She turned around and quickly fled into the mass of people, glad now for the protection they offered. Just as she got tp the stair case though, Fred and George caught up with her and each grabbed an arm, George quickly taking the cup of juice away from her. They walked with her up the stairs alternating their questions.</p><p>"Why'd you run off like that?"</p><p>"And what's wrong? You look like death itself spat you out."</p><p>"Why aren't you at the Malfoy's right now?"</p><p>"What are you doing here?"</p><p>Ada just looked between the two in bewilderment. Once they got to her floor though she managed to wrench herself away.</p><p>"Guys I'm fine! Nothing wrong so just leave me be." She said frustratedly. </p><p>She tried to stalk off but was hit by an intense wave of dizziness that caused her to sink to the floor just a few steps from her door. The twins hurried over and seemed to know what was wrong without even asking. George helped her drink some of the juice and got the key to her room out of her coat pocket. When Fred unlocked her door he scooped Ada up and carried her inside. Setting her down on her bed. The dizziness gradually passed as she drank more fluids but she almost wished it hadn't. Now she was sitting in front of the twins and knew she had to at least give them a partial explanation or they'd never leave her be.</p><p>“First off,I’m fine. Honestly. I’m just a little under the weather right now. Secondly, I am not staying with the Malfoy’s. I don’t want to place that kind of burden or responsibility on anyone. I’m here for the winter holidays and then I’ll be back at Hogwarts so it's not that big of a deal." Ada pushed on, looking down at her hands as she spoke to avoid eye contact with either of the twins. "I ran off because you were a bit of a surprise and I knew you'd probably ask questions that I don't want to answer. I'm okay though so you don't need to worry or anything."</p><p>Fred and George exchanged a glance before moving to sit on either side of her. When Terri and Michael did that it made her feel threatened but for some reason Fred and George never made her feel like that. The pair had been the two years ahead of her but she'd had a lot of her upper level classes with them and genuinely liked them. </p><p>"Look at yourself in the mirror, you aren't okay." Fred started. </p><p>"Your face is as white as the snow outside and you have such dark circles under your eyes that you look like you got in a fight and lost." </p><p>"You're still shaking-"</p><p>"And I can feel you radiating heat from here."</p><p>"Okay, I get it. I look horrible." Ada said slightly irritated and George raised an eyebrow at her tone. "Sorry," she mumbled. </p><p>"We've kept in touch with Blaise and Malfoy, especially after they publicly came out and told the world what they'd been living under when they were forced to join Old Voldie." Fred said. "We know for a fact that right now they are going crazy with worry and anxiety, trying to find you. They actually sent us to look her while they looked around Diagon Alley and Hogsmead. You're not a burden to them no matter what you think. Please just let us take you back home."</p><p>"Its not home." was all Ada said. </p><p>She refused to believe that the Malfoy's actually wanted to have her. She'd heard Blaise and Draco talking about her in the hallway and she knew she was more trouble than she was worth. She looked down at her hands and folded them tightly in her lap so she wouldn't have to watch them tremble.</p><p>"I know you mean well but please just leave me alone guys. I'll be okay on my own, I always have been." Ada nearly whispered this but both boys could clearly hear her.</p><p>They exchanged another glance over her head before standing up. She looked up as they stood and George smiled apologetically at her before stepping forward and quickly yanking her wand from inside her coat. Fred said something too quietly for her to catch but just as she was about to jump up she felt every part of her relax bonelessly. George was already waiting for her to collapse and quickly caught her before laying her back on the bed and removing her shoes and coat. He pulled something out of his pocket and enlarged it so that she recognized it as the waited blanket Draco had used with her before. He quickly laid it out and wrapped her in it. She was starting to panic at the feeling of utter helplessness. She couldn't move at all, it was as if she was a newborn babe completely at the mercy of the twins. Fred had taken advantage of the small fireplace in her room to floo someone. He disappeared in a flash of green and Ada whimpered slightly at the implications for her. George sat down on the bed and almost effortlessly pulled her so that her head was lying against his chest and he supported her with an arm around her middle. </p><p>"Ada, I'm sorry. We didn't really want to have to do things this way but we also know how stubborn you can be. This was the quickest and easiest way for us to get you home. I know you don't necessarily like them or trust them but they're good people and they already love you dearly. It'll be okay." </p><p>Ada couldn't have said anything if she wanted to. She was struggling not to cry. She didn't even really know why she wanted to cry but the tears still fell down her cheeks. No more than five minutes later the fireplace flared green again and out stepped first Fred and then Mr. Malfoy. Ada was almost hyperventilating at this point so she didn't notice as Mr. Malfoy lifted her from Georges arms and held her close to his chest. Fred and George gave a report of sorts to Mr. Malfoy before turning to pack what little Ada had unpacked back into her trunk. Mr. Malfoy nodded his thanks as they handed him the shrunken object and he stepped back into the floor, arriving back in Malfoy Manor. </p><p>"Shhh, piccolina. It's all right." Mr. Malfoy sat down on one of the parlor couches and cradled Ada close to his chest. she gradually started to breath again but tears still streaked down her cheeks. He stroked her back gently and tried to think of anything that would soothe her. He eventually just started talking, not saying much but just letting her have time to calm down.</p><p>"I know it's hard, piccolina, to be here with us. It's so overwhelming and you've had a rough go of it so far. Fredrick said you felt like a burden to us.  You don't ever need to feel like a burden to anyone. You have the right to express your needs and have them met. You don't ever need to apologize for the space you take up as a human being. Don't ever forget that. We have so much to make up to you. You spent your entire childhood unloved and unwanted. You had to do everything yourself. You don't need to do that anymore, and honestly, I don't think it's even healthy for you to do everything by yourself anymore. You've got to let us help you, piccolina." </p><p>Lucius kept talking, basically repeating variations of this until Ada slipped into an exhausted sleep. Draco, Blaise, and Narcissa walked in a little while later but when they saw she was asleep they disappeared upstairs. Lucius knew they were getting everything ready for the next steps with her and wanted to let Ada sleep for as long as possible. She was going to hate what was coming next but it was for her own good.</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Ada started to relax again in his arms Lucius stood up. He was disturbed at how easy she was to carry. He didn't even have to cast a feather-light charm on her. She squeaked a little at the sudden movement and tensed up again. He paced around for a little while longer and when she was calmer H made his way out of the parlor and up the grand staircase. </p><p>Instead of going to her room like Ada expected, Mr. Malfoy stopped at a door she hadn't noticed before. It was right between Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy's room and Draco's room. When he opened the door she looked around curiously but also a little nervously. The room was decorated in soft blues and greens and seemed larger on the inside than it should have been. There was a twin bed pushed against one wall and a bookshelf near it. In one corner was a mound of pillows, blankets and... stuffed animals? It all looked plain but comfy as well as slightly childish. </p><p>Mrs. Malfoy was in the room arranging clothes in a tall wardrobe. Ada frowned and wondered what was going on. The clothes certainly didn't belong to either of the boys and definitely not to either Mr. or Mrs. Malfoy. They weren't Ada's clothes though, they were much too new and nice for that. </p><p>Mr. Malfoy sat down on the bed and finally unwrapped Ada from the tight and constrictive blanket. She stayed perfectly still until she was completely free before scrambling away. Mrs. Narcissa had come to sit on the other side of the bed so there was nowhere for Ada to go but in the corner of the bed. She pulled her knees up to her chest and tightly wrapped her arms around them, clutching her elbows. </p><p>As Ada looked back and forth between the two Malfoys, Lucius was stuck by how small and fragile the girl looked. Her sharp elbows were clearly outlined through the worn fabric of her shirt. Her face was pale and her eyes too wide. He also noticed that she was trembling slightly. </p><p>"I'm sorry for running away and making you go through the trouble of finding me. I know I'm a burden but I'll try harder I promise. I just thought that it would be easier on you if I left. I'm sorry." Ada was embarrassed at the quiver in her voice as she spoke. </p><p>"Ada, you don't need to apologize for having basic human needs. It does not make you a burden to anyone here." Narcissa said softly. "Running away was a bad choice but we understand why you did it. You have years of emotional trauma that caused you to act like you did. We're just glad you're home now." </p><p>"However," Mr. Malfoy picked up, "Things are going to change a little now. It's hard to miss how much of a mess you are, and I say that very lovingly. Considering your background and previous Homelife this is going to be a very difficult transition for you. "</p><p>The pair of adults were closely watching Ada. As they'd been speaking the girl had curled up into an even tighter ball and her hands were white with how tightly she was clutching her arms. Narcissa continued.</p><p>"One of the biggest changes for you will be the restrictions of your freedom. You showed us that right now it is unwise for you to be left alone. So for the time being you will always be with one of us, or one of the boys. Another change is in your eating habits. You will now eat three meals a day and in between each meal you will have a small sack or a nutrient potion. To make sure you are actually eating your food someone will always feed you." </p><p>"We have decided to use a rather unconventional route in dealing with your trauma but it has a history of being more effective, especially in cases like yours where you were physically neglected and emotionally deprived of love and affection. We may treat you as if you are much much younger than you are but its for your own good. We won't always treat you as if you are so young but we will ask you to do things that you may not want to day and we expect you to obey."</p><p>As Lucius had been talking Draco and Blaise had crept in. They didn't want to crowd Ada so they leaned against the wall watching and listening. Draco noticed that once again Ada had adopted the posture of a cornered animal. He was sure that if she had wings she would have flown up and away. As it was, she looked about ready to bolt. </p><p>"I don't understand what you want from me. Just tell me what you need me to do, what chores you have assigned to me and the rules of what not to do. I promise I'll obey them." Ada looked anxiously between the oldest Malfoys.</p><p>"Piccolina, we aren't asking you to be out servant or slave. All we want is for you to let us help you." Narcissa said gently. </p><p>"Do you have any questions about this?" Lucius asked.</p><p>Ada started to shake her head then paused. She didn't really understand what they were asking her to do but she'd learn. She was curious, though, about the room. </p><p>"Who's room is this? I don't remember seeing it when I was here before."  </p><p>"It was Draco's bedroom as a child. We wanted you to be closer so that we could keep an eye on you. Both Draco's room as well as mine and Lucius's room have doors that lead into here. The house elves have also cast a variety of spells to keep you safer and let us know if anything is wrong. </p><p>Ada just nodded slowly and then sighed. She was exhausted and still didn't feel well. She'd heard everything she'd been told but didn't really understand any of it. The group was silent for a while before narcissa spoke up again. </p><p>"You boys can do whatever until dinner. I'll help Ada get settled in." </p><p>Narcissa and Ada watched the boys file out until Lucius shut the door behind himself. Then Ada turned her war gaze to Narcissa. She smiled gently at the girl before her and held out a hand.</p><p>"First order of business is to get you cleaned and then into better clothes. You look a right mess!"</p><p>Ada tried but couldn't really find offense. She hadn't showered since Draco washed her har nearly a week ago and her clothes were fraying at the edges and stained from whichever of her brothers had owned them previously. She slowly unfolded herself from the corner and cautiously reached out to take Mrs. Malfoy's hand. She was gently tugged to her feet and pulled to a door she hadn't noticed earlier. Inside was a large bathroom that confounded Ada slightly, until she remembered she lived in the wizarding world. Mrs. Malfoy busied herself with drawing up a bath and digging around for various bottles. Once she had set everything out including towels she turned back to Ada.</p><p>"I'm going to pick out some new clothes for you while you undress and hop in the tub. When I'm back I'll wash and condition your hair for you." </p><p>Ada watched Mrs. Malfoy leave before doing as she was told. As she lowered herself into the hot water she let out a small sigh. The water felt so good and smelled even better. There was a layer of bubbles floating atop the water that smelled like vanilla and lavender.  She let herself sink down int he warmth and relax fully. She nearly fell asleep but just as she was on the edge Narcissa came back in.</p><p>"Lets get you washed up and then into some new clothes." </p><p>Ada nodded drowsily and pulled herself up slightly to reach for the shampoo bottle. </p><p>"Why don't you let me help you with this. You just relax okay?" </p><p>Ada nodded again and let Mrs. Malfoy situate her better in the tub. Warm water ran through her hair before Mrs. Malfoy started working the shampoo through Ada's long dark hair. By the time Mrs. Malfoy had finished shampooing and conditioning her hair, Ada had fallen asleep. She woke up though when Mrs. Malfoy shook her shoulder. </p><p>"Why don't you dry off and then get dressed. I'll wait just outside for you." </p><p>Ada waited for Mrs. Malfoy to leave before climbing out of the tub with a sigh. The towels laid out for her were warm and soft and she let herself just run a hand over them for a while before actually doing anything. When she was dry she looked around for clothes and frowned when she saw what  had been left for her. Instead of jeans or even just pants was a long black skirt and a green blouse was to go with it. Rather than wear the uncomfortable outfit laid out for her, Ada just climbed back into her own clothes. When she opened the bathroom door it was Mrs. Malfoy's turn to frown. </p><p>"Is something wrong with the clothes I gave you? Do they not fit?" she asked.</p><p>"No, but don't you think they're a little too.. nice? A little formal?"</p><p>"Not really but how about you look through the wardrobe and see if there's something else you'd rather wear."</p><p>Ada opened the heavy wooden door of the wardrobe and looked hopelessly at the clothe within. They were all either skirts and blouses or dresses. She began to dig through trying to find anything that looked comfortable. As she got to one end she saw a pile of clothes neatly folded in the corner on the floor of the thing. She stooped over and looked through them before grabbing them. </p><p>"These will work." she said simply.</p><p>"But those are just Draco's old clothes. I didn't have time to take them out but I was going to get rid of them for you."</p><p>"With all due respect, Mrs. Malfoy, I'd feel much more comfortable in these clothes than in anything else in there."</p><p>"Why on earth would you want those old clothes rather than any of the new things? You'd look so very pretty in anything in there."</p><p>Ada just shrugged and went back into the bathroom to change again. When she came out again she was dressed in a pair worn but neat looking jeans and a longs sleeve t-shirt. Draco hadn't worn either since he was probably in third year but they still smelled slightly of him, like the vanilla and lavender bath soap. Narcissa was still waiting for Ada to emerge again and tried to smile gently again at the girl. She was proud though that Ada had been willing to admit that she didn't like the clothes Narcissa had picked out.</p><p>"Lets go find the boy's then sit down for dinner, sound good?" she asked the girl.</p><p>Ada nodded and followed Mrs. Malfoy out into the hall. She crossed her arms tightly across her chest, immediately feeling chilled. Both Draco and Blaise were in Draco's room so it wasn't hard to track them down. Both boys jumped up at the mention of dinner and Ada smiled just slightly. As Blaise started to leave he noticed that Ada looked a little cold so he wordlessly pulled of his jumper and handed it to Ada. She looked at him in question and when he nodded she pulled it on. She was practically swimming in it but was much warmer. She hung back just a second so that she was in the back as the small group made their way down to the dining room. </p><p>Mr. Malfoy was already waiting at the table and everyone took their seats, leaving Ada to sit next to Blaise. Just when the clock in the corner struck 6:00 the food appeared on the table. Ada's plate had already automatically filled itself with potatoes and carrots, a small serving of roast beef, a slice of bread, and a helping of green beans. She went to pick up her fork but it wouldn't budge. She looked up at Mr. Malfoy in question and he nodded slightly.</p><p>"Remember, one of us will feed you for the time being. You do get to choose though, if you would like. "</p><p>Ada made a slight face when Mr. Malfoy told her she wasn't allowed to feed herself.  She tried to pick up her fork again then reached for the bread on her plate but found she couldn't touch it. She sat back with a huff and tossed her arms. She stared stubbornly at the table, refusing to pick someone. Finally Blaise decided enough was enough and he pulled Ada's chair closer to him. He picked up the fork and as he scooped up a bite of potatoes he whispered something in her ear. They had a stare off for a second before she slumped back and opened her mouth. She refused to make eye contact with anyone as she was slowly fed. When she was done she just put her head down on the table and closed her eyes.</p>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When everyone had finished dinner Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy stood up to take their customary evening walk outside. Ada didn't even glance at them as they left. Draco and Blaise sat in silence for a moment before Draco finally broke it. </p><p>"So what do you guys want to do for the rest of the evening?" </p><p>Blaise just shrugged and Ada didn't deign to answer. Draco sighed dramatically and walked over to the side of the table the other two were on. </p><p>"Come on, you boring lumps. Let's at least go somewhere more comfortable." </p><p>Blaise huffed slightly but stood up. Ada was still ignoring them so Draco just picked her up. She instinctively grabbed the front of Draco's sweater and held it tightly as she was moved. Draco laughed a little as she reddened when she realized what she'd done. </p><p>"I can walk you know." she said irritably. </p><p>"It didn't seem likely you'd actually do it though. You're a little grumpy looking."</p><p>"I wonder why?" Ada muttered sarcastically. </p><p>Blaise, in true Blaise form, just shook his head and left the squabbling pair. </p><p>"Besides, do you have any idea how uncomfortable being held like this is? It makes me all tense cause I feel I'm about to fall at any given moment!"</p><p>"What do you want me to do, strap you to my chest like an infant?" </p><p>"I want you to put me down!" Ada said frustratedly.</p><p>Draco just looked at her, surprised by the sharp tone of voice she'd used. She immediately shut down and looked away from him. </p><p>"How about this," Draco said softly, "I can carry you on my back. Is that any better?" </p><p>Ada considered it for a moment then nodded hesitantly. Draco let her down and turned waiting for her to jump on his back. After a second he looked back confused.</p><p>"What's wrong, why aren't you getting on my back?"  </p><p>"I can't get up without a chair or something."</p><p>Draco tried to hide a smile. He'd forgotten how short she was compared to him. He moved to one of the dining room chairs and watched as she climbed up before looking at him expectantly. He turned around and held still as she marched onto his back, her arms tight around his shoulders. He looped his arms under her knees to support her better and once she was secure he walked out of the dining room. He figured Blaise would probably be in his room so that's where he headed. </p><p>Draco pushed open Blaise's door with his foot and sure enough, Blaise was lounging on his bed reading. Draco also realized that Ada had laid her head down on his shoulder and was endeared by the sweet innocence of the gesture. Blaise looked up as the pair entered his room and smiled at Draco.</p><p>"I see you managed to work things out?" </p><p>Draco chose to ignore the smirk in his voice and he sat down at the end of the bed, careful not to hurt Ada. She let go of his shoulders but didn't seem inclined to want to move her head. </p><p>"What are you reading?" Draco asked, looking at the book in Blaises hands.</p><p>"The Iliad. Realized that I haven't read this in three years so I figured I'd go through again."</p><p>"I've never read the Iliad before but it's been on my list for a while." Ada said quietly. </p><p>Blaise nodded seriously but then smiled at the girl. Her eyes were closed so she didn't see it but she could hear it in his voice. </p><p>"You must have a good list. Would you like me to read out loud? I'm only a page in so I can easily start at the beginning. </p><p>Ada just nodded tiredly. Draco decided to find a more comfortable place to sit and moved to the floor in front of the fireplace in the room, easing away from Ada. She opened her eyes and frowned slightly. She didn't want to admit it but it was nice to be so close to someone. Draco noticed and patted the ground next to him. After a short inner battle Ada moved down next to him and let Draco maneuver her so that her head was in his lap. He started stroking her hair and she closed her eyes again as Blaise began to read. </p><p>“You’re still wearing Blaise’s jumper.” Draco observed as Blaise paused to get a drink of water. </p><p>Ada just hummed tiredly in response. </p><p>“Why do you always wear that old ragged one anyways? It doesn’t seem to keep you very warm.” </p><p>“Didn’t have enough to buy a new one this year and the one I bought last year was destroyed in the battle. I had to beg my parents to get even this one, much less a brand new one.”</p><p>Ada seemed too tired to realize that Draco didn’t answer. His eyes were stormy and he was angry at the thought that Ada had to beg just to get a threadbare jumper that probably belonged to one of her brothers. He started to stroke her hair again and by the time Blaise had read two more pages she was asleep.</p><p>Once Blaise realized that Ada was asleep he stopped reading and bookmarked the page they’d left off on. He stretched then came to join Draco on the floor. As he studied Ada’s face in the light from his fireplace he sighed softly. </p><p>“We’re going to have to wake her up to give her a nutrient potion, you know that right?” he asked Draco.</p><p>“Yeah, I know. I was hoping you’d give it to her though. She seems to like you better.”</p><p>“That's because you can be a very overwhelming person, not to mention that you hurt her emotionally and physically within the same hour.”</p><p>“She probably hates me.” Draco said glumly.</p><p>“I don’t think she hates you. If she did she wouldn’t be lying with her head on your lap and she certainly wouldn’t have come to the manor to begin with. Just give her time.” </p><p>“I suppose. Do you want to take her so I can go get everything?”</p><p>Blaise nodded and stood up, groaning softly. He slid his arms under the sleeping girl and lifted her from the ground. She sleepily opened her eyes as Blaise moved over to his bed and sat with his back against the headboards. He arranged her so that her head rested on his shoulder and he looped an arm around her waist. She closed her eyes again and he could feel the steady exhale of her breath against his neck. </p><p>“Hold on Ada, I know you want to sleep but first you need to have a nutrient potion. Draco’s getting the bottle right now and once you’ve finished it then you can go to bed. I know you’re not going to like it but it's for your own good, okay?” </p><p>Ada forced her eyes open and nodded slightly. She’d heard all the words individually but couldn’t make sense of them right now. Draco came in just a moment later and she dully watched him walk towards her with  something in his hands. She gradually came to realize that he was holding not a glass potion bottle but a baby bottle. Suddenly what Blaise had said to her clicked and she sat up sharply, accidentally elbowing Blaise in the ribs. He gasped in pain and she jumped away in panic. Before Draco or Blaise could say or do anything she had bolted from the room. Draco cursed and spun towards the door. By the time he was in the hall she was gone from sight. </p><p>“You check the upper levels, I’ll check the third floor down.” Blaise said as he joined Draco, still holding his side. </p><p>Draco nodded and started up the stairs to the fourth floor. There were so many places to hide but Draco knew all of them. He quickly searched the fourth and fifth floors before making his way up to the top floor. He checked all the rooms and when he came to the last door he noticed the door was slightly ajar. He opened it silently and stepped inside. It was an old bedroom with an old four poster bed and a large wardrobe. It had been one of Draco’s favorite hiding places as a kid.</p><p> He stepped closer to the wardrobe and pulled it open slowly. He pushed the old dresses to one side and found Ada curled up into a ball. She was shaking and tears streamed down her face silently. Draco tried to reach out to her but she flinched away as if he was about to hit her.</p><p>“I’m sorry.” she choked out frantically. “I didn’t mean to hit him, I promise! I’m so sorry. I’ll be good, I'll be good. Please don’t beat me, I promise I’ll do better. Promise.” </p><p>She shoved herself even further back into the wardrobe and Draco wanted to curse. He should have known she’d freak out like this. He sat down on the ground to appear less threatening and tried to soften his features as best he could.</p><p>“Ada, I will never hit you, nor will anyone else in this house. We will never, ever hit you.”</p><p>“But I hurt Blaise and then I ran away. I’m bad and when I’m bad I’m punished.”</p><p>“No, you’re not bad. You accidentally hit Blaise, it wasn’t on purpose. And yeah, running away wasn’t the best choice but we won't beat you for that. Discipline will be things like time out or taking away your freedoms. We will never discipline you by hurting you.” </p><p>Ada just shook her head and kept crying. Draco gently took her hands and pulled her out of the wardrobe and onto his lap. He held her and rocked until she started to calm down. </p><p>“I know you didn’t mean to hurt Blaise and he knows that too. We won't discipline you for that. Running away was wrong so for the next couple days one of us is just going to carry you around. Does that seem fair?”</p><p>Ada nodded and hiccuped. Draco stood up with her clinging to his neck and made his way down stairs. As he made it to the second floor he saw Blaise coming up and he smiled wanly to the other boy. They walked to Ada’s room as Draco sat down on the bed Blaise summoned the bottle. He cast a warming charm on it as Draco pulled Ada away slightly to see her face.</p><p>“I know this is new and hard for you but I’m going to feed you the bottle okay? It has a nutrient potion in it but I also added vanilla and honey to make it taste better. As soon as you’re done you can go to sleep okay?”<br/>Ada had started to silently cry again at the sight of the bottle but nodded miserably. Blaise handed it to Draco and he held the nipple to her mouth. She hesitated but at his urging she took it and experimentally sucked on it. As a spurt  the warm liquid landed in her mouth she jumped in surprise. Draco smiled a little and pushed the bottle back towards her and she reluctantly continued to suck on it. Tears slipped down her face but she drank the rest of the bottle in silence. </p><p>When she had finished Draco pulled her up and started to gently pat her back. She blushed horribly but didn’t squirm away until she had burped. Once she did though she tried to twist away. </p><p>“Where are you going?” Draco asked as he pulled her back beside him.</p><p>“I just need to change into my night clothes and brush my teeth and hair.” </p><p>“All right, go change and brush your teeth and then I’ll brush your hair for you.”</p><p>“I can do it.” she said softly but firmly. </p><p>“I know you can but I want to brush your hair for you.”</p><p>Ada glared at Draco but didn’t say anything. He let her up and Blaise handed her a bundle of clothes. She pressed her lips together but moved to the bathroom to change anyway. She appeared not a second later holding a pale blue nightgown and looking at Blaise pleadingly.</p><p>“A nightgown? Really? Can’t I just have normal night clothes?”</p><p>“Those are normal night clothes. Have you never worn a night gown before?” Draco asked. </p><p>Ada just shook her head and sighed. She disappeared again and a few minutes late came out wearing the pale blue nightgown. It came down to her ankles and she moved a little uncertainly. Draco thought she looked as if she was treading on eggshells. She walked over and handed Draco a hair brush and sat down in front of him. </p><p>Draco gently started to untangle her hair and she sat still as a statue in front of him. He frowned at how tense she was but didn’t know how to make her relax so he just tried to finish brushing her hair as quickly as possible. After a minute Draco accidentally pulled too hard on a knot and she yelped a little. She turned around and took the brush from Draco before moving away a little distance. She glared at him as she started to work on her own hair and he just held up his hands in apology.</p><p>She got it untangled quicker than Draco would have been able to and without having to yank. She put her brush away then came to stand awkwardly in the middle of the room, staring uncertainly at Draco and Blaise.<br/>“All right, time for bed.” Blaise said, having mercy on the girl. </p><p>Draco stood up and pulled back the covers for her as she slipped into bed. She reluctantly let Draco pull them back over her and before he left he stooped down to kiss her forehead. </p><p>“Goodnight Ada.”</p><p>She just looked at him weirdly before Blaise came over to say goodnight too. He just brushed her hair from her face and squeezed her hand before moving away. As they left, the boys turned out the lights and closed the door gently behind them. </p><p>Ada lay in the dark for a long while. The exhaustion of the day was strong but not strong enough to block out the silence that overwhelmed her in this unfamiliar room. After more than an hour she finally slipped away into a deep sleep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Let me know what you think, I'm still getting the feel for writing fanfiction. Please reach out if you have any suggestions for the story or if you notice any spelling or grammar issues I need to fix!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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